Five Alarm
by ElizabethAnne1
Summary: When the Captain of Trenton Fire Department is hurt on the job, who will be the nurse to fix him up? Fluffy, fluff with some adult stuff. Rating for language and lovin'. AU, Babe.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So…This started out as a one shot, mainly because I wanted to see Ranger as a firefighter. As usual though, my wordiness got away from me and this ended up as a multi-chapter fic. The good news is, though, that it's already completely written! Go me, I actually finished a story! **

**There's some medical jargon down there, I think there's been enough medical dramas on TV for everyone to catch the drift of that. Basically his vitals are all good, if slightly elevated for his fitness level. Normal sinus=best EKG reading possible, LOC=loss of consciousness and Alert and Oriented x 3=aware of person, place and time. C-spine=cervical spine, the part of your back you really don't want to fracture. Immobilizing these vertebrae is a pain in the ass for the patient. It involves moving the entire body as a unit with no jarring motions and being placed on a hard, long board with a collar around their neck and a head restraint device of varying degrees of sophistication and then being strapped down to the whole contraption. It's hard and uncomfortable and thankfully most often, later rendered unnecessary after x-rays clear the patient of fractures. All of these explanations are only necessary for the first couple of pages. We'll call it jargon lite. **

**Many F-bombs were dropped in the making of this story…You have been warned. **

**I don't own these two, but I sure do love hooking them up! Oh, yeah, and this plot is all mine. **

SPOV

It's been my long held belief that men in uniform are just plain hot. Police, firefighters, armed services, I don't discriminate, they're all gorgeous. The inherent bravery required to wear such finery multiplying the sexiness to the nth degree. Women in uniform inspire my awe as well, maybe even more so on the valor front, for they have more to fight against to be taken seriously. But not my lust, and that's what this tale is about. I'm an ER nurse, you see. Day in, day out I deal with the walking wounded and the barely conscious. From babies all the way up to octogenarians, (and older sometimes) they walk, limp or are wheeled through our doors and, hopefully, exit feeling better.

I was working one eerily quiet Sunday afternoon, changing an IV bag on our only patient, a poor soul who had food poisoning and was pretty badly dehydrated. After voiding what seemed to have been 50% of her body fluids from various orifices, she was finally sleeping and I was trying to keep her that way. I could hear the sirens outside, which was unusual as the hospital was a quiet zone, so sirens blasting were usually a sign of something bad coming in. Sure enough, a laden stretcher, 2 paramedics, 1 paramedic student, 3 EMT's and at least 4 firefighters, still in turn-out gear, flew through our doors and started barking at me. Lula, the other RN on duty went to find Dr. Lin and I headed over to bed 4.

"Over here, guys." I called, snapping on gloves and reaching across the bed for the patient's backboard. "On 3. 1, 2, 3." We heaved him over quickly and I started a visual assessment. Yowza, that's a lot of blood. Looking up, I caught one of the medics eye. "Joe, what have we got?"

"33 year-old male. Captain, Trenton FD. BP 124/78. Heart-rate 72. Normal Sinus. Resp. 20. LOC 6 minutes due to blunt trauma. 12 cm lac on forehead. C-spine precautions taken due to mechanism of injury." He leaned over and whispered. "A big fucking header beam fell on his head. They were checking for hot-spots after they put down a house fire." Joe resumed in a normal voice. "Alert and oriented x 3 since our arrival on scene."

"Any other injuries noted?" I asked Joe.

"I'm fine." Growled my patient from behind his O2 mask.

I smiled down at him. I could just about make out his right eye, but most of his face was obscured by the massive piece of bloody gauze they'd slapped on him. That one eye was a pretty, deep brown and was communicating extreme frustration. He was going to be a _difficult_ patient, I could just tell.

"Hello Captain, just let us take care of you okay?" He just hmmfed and stared straight ahead. I turned back to Joe. "I'll take it from here." He handed me his paperwork and I signed his copy. He unhooked his heart monitor and Joe, Jeff and their student walked out, their pagers already going off for their next call. Eddie, one of the EMTs and a childhood friend of mine, grabbed the oxygen tank from between the Captain's legs, made a _call me_ motion and they moved out too. I didn't even bother telling his firefighters they could go. From their stance at the end of the bed, they weren't going anywhere until they knew their Captain would be okay. "I'm just going to close the curtain while I get him hooked up to everything okay?" All I got were terse, silent nods in reply. I was pulling the curtain around the bed as Lula hustled back in.

"Doc said he'll be here in a minute." She looked at our patient. "What do we have?" I repeated the info I knew, as I hooked him up to our O2.

By the time I was done, we heard a loud wretch followed by an unmistakable splashing and then, "NURSE!" It seemed Mrs. Krowicki was awake, and that the antiemetic we gave her wasn't working.

"It's so your turn." I said to Lula. She had been on break when Mrs. Krowicki had come in and I'd handled three rounds of vomiting alone. We always took turns with pukers, no matter whose patient it was.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll just leave you here with the Captain." She said placing a sing-song emphasis on his title. She turned before she went around the curtain and waved to get my attention, inclining her head in his direction and mouthing _wow!_ I could only raise my eyebrows in agreement. From the little I could see of him, he was pretty _wow!_

"Captain, I'm going to cut your t-shirt off and see if we can wiggle your turn out gear off okay?" I asked, pulling out my shears.

"If you just unhook me from this damn board and collar I can get up and do it myself." He replied grumpily.

"I'm sorry, but given where your laceration is, we're going to have to check for cervical spine injury before we remove all of that. I'm going to take you to x-ray as soon as I get you in a gown."

"I know that, but I'm telling you, I'm fine. They just panicked when I didn't wake up right away and I was already strapped down when I came around. Look, all my fingers and toes are wiggling." He grumbled as he demonstrated.

"Losing consciousness for that long is worrying. I promise I'll get Dr. Lin to look at your x-rays as soon as we get them and if you're clear, I'll unstrap you myself. There is a risk of compression fractures to the vertebrae with the type of force you received to the head. I want you to be able to wiggle those fingers and toes forever, Captain." I was 99% sure he had nothing more than a concussion going on and needed sutures on his forehead, but being my x-ray vision was on the fritz, I thought it better to take him and get some imaging done.

"Okay." He said with a sigh, "but I don't need this." He reached up and yanked at the mask. Between the bandage and the head restraint he had a fight on his hands. His 02 saturation was 100% so I took mercy on him and cut the elastic holding it on.

"There, better?"

"Yes, Thank-you."

"Good, now stop being a difficult patient." He opened his mouth to respond, but I just kept going. "I'm going to get all this off you and then we'll slip you into this fabulous gown." I held it up for his approval, adding a game-show flourish. "As you can see, it's a beautiful cornflower blue, which will, no doubt, enhance your skin tone and has this slightly unfashionable, but very conveniently placed gap in the back. Makes walking down the hall to the bathroom an adventure!" He smiled slightly and I caught him rolling the exposed eye.

"You're pretty funny, you know that? You'd be even funnier if you let me get up." He said, trying to turn on the charm. It wasn't going to work

"Nope. This is my one chance to exert my will over you. Now lay still like a good boy, these shears are sharp. We don't want to damage any necessary parts." I didn't usually joke like that with my patients, but something told me he had a good sense of humor when he wasn't busy being cranky.

I slipped his supenders down his arms and started cutting down the center of his navy blue shirt revealing, snip-by-snip, a lickably smooth skinned, very well-defined 6…no, 8-pack abdomen and beautifully sculpted chest. Said chest was adorned on the left side with a large Maltese cross tattoo.

_Jesus, this guy could pose for every month of those hot fire-fighter calendars! _

I cut through the sleeves and left it splayed underneath him. "Okay, I'm going to try to pull these pants off without moving you. I can get through them with the shears, but I'm guessing these are expensive to replace right?"

"Yeah, you could say that. These cost the FD about $600." I whistled at that.

"Don't move. Let me do all the work, okay?"

His little smile grew, "You know, if I knew you better, I'd tell you I love a woman who takes control."

"And…that's how I know you're probably okay. Innuendo is only used by non-critical patients." I said patting his shoulder. He laughed a little. It was a good laugh, deep and rumbly. I bet when he was really laughing, it was one of those that you can't help but join in with.

I worked the buttons open and saw that the heavy fire-proof pants were probably loose enough to drag down without jostling his neck. I slowly worked them down his legs and sighed when I got to his boots. This wasn't going to be easy. "Just pull them off as a unit. That's how we step into them." He helpfully supplied. I nodded though he was in no position to see me and managed to finally, gently, ease his feet free. I slipped one shear blade under his left uniform pant cuff and he jerked his leg away. "My legs are fine, these stay on." He said with finality.

"Sorry Captain, all patients need to be gowned, which means everything needs to come off. I'll leave your undies on if you're really worried."

"I have no more injuries, just this cut on my head, my pants can stay on." He said with finality.

"Hospital policy, Captain, everyone has to wear a gown. Come on, please?"

"Umm…I'mnotwearinganyunderwear." He mumbled in a rush.

It took me a minute to decipher that.

_Oh…ohhhhhh!_

"I won't look…" _much._

"Just be careful with those scissors." He warned.

"Don't worry Captain, you might be my first patient, but I got lots of practice on my third try at nursing school."

"You're kidding right?" I didn't answer. "Right?" Again, he waited for a response.

I moved back up to his head and looked him right in the eye. "Yes, I'm kidding. Top of my class at Rutgers. I graduated eight years ago. Calm down."

His body relaxed a bit and I worked my way up one pant leg, careful to leave his privates covered. His legs were just as solidly muscular as the rest of him. I hooked a finger under his waistband and he hissed when the cold, blunt edge of the blade touched his skin. "I won't hurt you." I whispered. Preserving his modesty again I worked down towards his ankle, ever watchful for signs of more injuries during the entire process. I knew his kind, he and his ilk would say anything to get out of here as quickly as possible, even ignore an actual injury. I covered him up with the gown and gently tugged the pants out from under him. "I didn't see a thing." I declared, just as Dr. Lin ducked around the edge of the curtain. I gave him the run-down and he gave orders for x-rays and a CAT scan of his head to check the severity of his suspected concussion. After peeking under the gauze he said he'd page the plastic surgeon to properly close the long laceration on his forehead.

"I'll take him to diagnostics now." The Captain's good eye rolled from Dr. Lin to me, his eyebrow raising slightly.

"Don't they have people for that?" He asked incredulously.

"Sure, if you want to wait for two hours. I thought you wanted to get off the board?" I didn't usually take patients down for imaging, but it was slow here and I didn't want to leave him alone. On Sundays, transporters were thin on the ground, that two hour wait time was probably optimistic.

"I do. Thank-you." He said, sighing in relief.

I transferred him to a transport stretcher and pulled the curtain back, surprised to see his crew still waiting. "I'm just going to take him for pictures. You guys can wait in the nurse's lounge. There's free coffee in there." I added to sweeten the deal. They grumbled about coming with me until the Captain told them to go back to the scene to help out the guys that stayed behind.

I stayed with him through the whole process and was very pleased to note no fractures on his C-spine and skull x-rays. By a stroke of luck the radiologist was in and cleared him right away to take off the collar and head restraint.

"Finally!" He exclaimed as he sat up quickly. "I told you I was…whoa!" He grabbed his head, obviously dizzy.

"Captain, I'm pretty strong, but if you pass out on me right now I might not be able to hold you up." I said trying to steady his broad shoulders. His wide-open-in-the-back gown and his new position exposed most of his perfectly shaped butt and I was trying really hard not to stare at it. I didn't win that battle. "Take some deep breaths." He complied. Slowly, his uncovered eye refocused and he seemed to regain his equilibrium. "I'm going to let go now. Do you think you can scoot over to the table for me? We just need to do the CAT scan and then we're done here."

"Yeah, I just sat up too quickly." He gingerly scooted over and I helped him lie back. "Umm…I'm starting to feel a bit nauseous. Is there something I can hold if I need to…you know?" I opened a few cabinets until I found a barf bag.

"Here you go Captain. I'll be on the other side of that window with the tech. Try not to move during the scan okay?" He nodded.

He made it through the test without getting sick, but only just_. __ As soon as he sat up he had another bout of dizziness and I sat with him until the subsequent vomiting stopped. _

_"You okay now?" _

_He nodded, still a bit breathless. "Just embarrassed." He muttered._

_"Why?"_

_"Seriously?" He just pointed to the biohazard trashcan where I'd thrown his sick bag._

_I rolled my eyes. Men. "Captain, you're the third person to get sick in my vicinity this shift alone. Get over it, I'm supposed to wait for the doctor to tell you this but, you have a concussion, we could see it on the images as the test was going. Most often a nasty bump on the noggin goes hand-in-hand with some stomach upset. Will it save your dignity if I take you back to the ER in a wheelchair?"_

_"Maybe." He conceded, showing me another of those little smiles of his. I have to admit, that smile set off some fluttering in my belly. _

_"Don't get up until I get back with the chair okay?" _

_"Yes, boss." _

_"Smartass. I should make you go on the stretcher again." I giggled at his suddenly contrite expression and left the room_ and then realized that he made me giggle. _He_ made _me_ giggle!

"Alright, you ready to stand?" I asked after I parked the chair in front of him. "I'm going to stand right here and you can steady yourself on me if you have to."

"I'll be okay." Yup, sure. I've heard that before. He pushed off with his hands and his feet hit the floor.

"Go slow." I warned. I was already wrapping my arms around his waist, trying to angle him so he could sit back down in the chair as soon as he was most of the way to standing. I hadn't thought about the fact that his gown was still wide open in the back and he had to be, holy shit, at least 6 inches taller than me. When he was standing tall my hands, now de-gloved, were right on top of his ass cheeks. He wobbled a bit and plunked down in the chair, unfortunately, or not, depending on your opinion, he had grabbed onto my shoulders for balance and ended up pulling me with him. I ended up virtually nose-to nose with him, my chest pressed against his, with my feet scrabbling for purchase on the slick tile floor. Where were my hands you ask? Why, they were still copping a feel, of course. They were trapped under his butt and they weren't all that unhappy with their placement. Did I say nose-to-nose? We were so close I could have given him rescue breathing if I moved in another half-inch. After a really, really long moment, I cleared my throat. "Umm Captain, could you lift up a tiny bit? I kind of need my hands back."

"Shit, yeah. I'm sorry!" He murmured distractedly. He lifted his butt up and I slid my treacherous hands from their happy little prison. I slowly stood and took a much needed step back. I felt like my cheeks were on fire, both from embarrassment at my unprofessional behavior, I mean, he could file charges against me for that couldn't he? And the fact that the fluttering he was setting off earlier was now like full scale swooping in my belly.

I got my shit together and got us moving.

"Do you want me to call someone to come and pick you up? I asked as I pushed the chair up the ramp to the ER. "I noticed you sent your ride home before."

"I'll call them and someone'll come back to get me." He said quietly.

"Okay. As long as someone drives you. Dr. Lin is going to restrict your driving for at least a week, maybe more."

"I have to work!" He complained.

I shrugged. "Hop back on here." I patted bed 4. "Think you can manage it this time?" I asked with a smile. I raised the head of the bed for him and stood close again. This time he made it unassisted, but, jeez, did he ever give me an eyeful of that behind in the process. Now that I'd seen almost all of him, he really was way more than just _wow! _Even without seeing his entire face.

Dr. Weber joined us and removed the dressing from his wound. "Steph, no debridement is necessary, but irrigate with sterile saline and then paint the lac with 10% povidine iodine solution. Anesthetize with lido with epi and let me know when he's draped." She turned to him. "This is a pretty long laceration Captain. It's going to take me a little bit to close it properly but it'll be worth it when there's only a tiny scar when it's fully healed. I'm going to have you come back in to have the stitches removed on Friday."

"Okay." He said quietly. She patted his leg and disappeared again.

I started gathering supplies and draped a towel over his shoulder and under his head and snapped on more gloves. "I'm going to irrigate it first, it's only saline but, it might sting a bit. Once your wound is clean, then I'm going to inject the anesthesia, which will sting more than a little bit at first, so I apologize in advance." I got my first full blast smile for that and…there's that swooping in my belly again.

I pulled the curtains closed again, laid the head of the bed down and moved in close to get to work. He watched me silently as I cleaned the blood off of his face, revealing perfect, dark caramel colored skin. He had the longest lashes around those dark eyes and underscoring those where prominent cheekbones. He had full, wide lips that looked like they smiled an awful lot. There was a hint of dimples an inch north of each corner of his mouth even with his mouth relaxed. Top all that off with a strong, square jaw and I could honestly say I was in the presence of one of the handsomest men I'd ever met. I could feel those dark eyes on me, but I concentrated on his forehead. I tried to aim the nozzle of the saline bottle to remove the blood that had seeped into his thick, short hair as well. It took about 3 liters before I got most of it out. "Do you remember what happened?" I asked gently.

"Something fell on my head. That's pretty much it. My guys said that the cut was from the edge of the helmet digging in when the beam hit me." He fell quiet again for a few then drew in a breath, "Your name is Steph?"

"Yep, Stephanie Plum."

"Carlos Manoso. Well, Ricardo is my first name, but I don't go by it."

"It's nice to meet you Carlos."

He grinned and it was nearly blinding, perfect white teeth, and tiny crinkles around those eyes. "Yeah, it might have been better if we exchanged names before you saw me naked and bloody."

"Not totally naked, there's still some mystery yet to be uncovered." If my gloves weren't covered in blood I would've slapped my hand over my mouth.

_Very professional!_

He laughed out loud at that, and just like I suspected, it triggered mine.

"I'm sorry, my filter seems to be malfunctioning today."

"Don't be sorry. You're taking my mind off the fact you have a needle poised over my face." He looked at it nervously.

"Don't tell me that someone who runs into a burning building on a regular basis is scared of needles."

"Not scared, no. Just not a big fan."

"It'll only hurt for a second." I promised.

"Sure." He said, all sceptic.

"Be still now." I started injecting and he winced. Anxious to get his mind off of it, I started babbling. "So, my sister had a baby yesterday. She's a little girl and she's absolutely beautiful. She was over 10 pounds, can you believe it? She already has fat rolls in her legs! Do you have any kids, or nieces or nephews?"

"I have a huge Cuban family." He said, smiling again. "I have 6 nieces and one nephew. My brother's wife is pregnant, but she doesn't know what she's having yet. Then there's all the cousins and aunts and uncles. Family parties are massive."

"That must be overwhelming when you bring a girlfriend there." I took a peek at his left hand and was relieved to see no ring. I probably should have figured out if he was single before I ogled his naked butt and flirted with him. His smile turned smug at my lame attempt at information gathering.

"I'm not seeing anyone right now."

_Huh, me neither._

"That's hard to believe." _Seriously? Shut the fuck up Stephanie. _"Okay you're ready for the doctor. I'll go get her." I patted his shoulder and went to stand.

"Why is that hard to believe?" He asked, gently grabbing my wrist, setting off some pretty serious goosebumps. I looked down at his hand on me and he released me.

"Ummm…you're kind of…a catch. You know that though don't you." His smile grew even more.

I assisted as Dr. Weber fixed him up. His eyes not leaving me during the whole process. His scrutiny should have made me uncomfortable, but it really didn't.

I was a little sad to give him his discharge instructions, knowing that it was unlikely that I'd see him again.

"Is there someone who can stay with you tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll stay at the station-house. I called my friend Bobby to come and get me. We ride on the same truck together."

"No working though." I cautioned, "Listen to what Dr. Lin told you. You need to rest, or your concussion could get worse. No driving for a week and no bending or heavy lifting for the week either. Give that list of symptoms to watch for, to someone who will stay with you today and tonight. They don't need to do that whole waking every two hours thing. Just once in the middle of the night to be sure, okay?"

"Yes." He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Any dizziness?" He nodded and placed his hand on the mattress.

"It should pass soon. This could have been much, much worse without that helmet."

"I know." He said seriously.

"Here's some scrubs so you don't have to flash people on the way out."

He took them out of my hand, his fingers grazing mine in the process, setting off all kinds of reactions inside me. "Stand up and I'll help you get them on." I really was worried that he'd get dizzy and fall over. Really. He stood and I bent to help him step into the pants, dragging them up and under his gown. Yet again denying myself the opportunity of seeing his goodies. I flipped the bottom of the gown up when I had them all the way up and tied them closed at his trim waist. His abs contracting when my nails grazed his skin. "I'm just going to take this off." I whispered up at him. The atmosphere suddenly way more intimate than was appropriate for the setting. He gazed down at me for a second and perched his butt on the edge of the bed. I tugged the gown off him and noticed his ink again. "They did a good job with this." I murmured leaning closer. He drew in a sharp breath and I realized I was millimeters from touching his chest with my fingers. "Sorry." I mumbled.

"Don't be." He said, his voice deeper than before.

I took a deep breath and tried to act like the healthcare professional I was supposed to be. "Be careful how you get changed later and wash the wound with gentle soap and water once or twice a day and pat it dry carefully, put a little bacitracin on it, you don't have to cover it after tomorrow. Dr. Weber's number is on the discharge paperwork, make sure you get here on Friday to have those taken out. Leaving it too long can make the scarring worse. Don't shower until you feel steady, or sit on a bench if you have to, okay?" He nodded. I slipped the scrub top over his head and he slid his arms into it.

"Thanks for everything Stephanie. You've been very nice to me."

I couldn't help but blush. "You're welcome. It was my pleasure. You're lucky that it was so quiet today or we wouldn't have had all this quality time together."

He chuckled a bit and took my hand in his, "maybe next time I see you, it won't involve blood or injuries. Would you like to…"

"Carlos? Are you in there?" A woman's voice called from the other side of the curtain.

"Christ, what is she doing here?" He whispered, his shoulders slumping, his eyes wide. "I'm not seeing her, I swear it." He said urgently. The curtains slid open and a very, very attractive blonde and busty woman stepped in.

I felt anger bubble up despite his assertions, when she started to coo and fuss over him.

"Are you okay? Oh my god! I was so worried, Sarah called me after she heard from Bobby that you were hurt and he said you needed to be picked up. They're out on another call right now. Why didn't anyone call me?" He opened his mouth to say something, but I interrupted him.

"Excuse me, but you can't be back here in the treatment area. Family members only."

"Well, I'm his girlfriend, that's practically family!" She bristled.

"Sorry, you have to go back to the waiting room. I'll bring him out to you in a few minutes." She glared at me for a few beats and I stared stonily back at her. Apparently I was intimidating enough and she backed down.

"Sweetie, I'll wait out there and take you home when they're done with you." The snottiness with which she said _they _had my hand itching to slap her. She bent and kissed him full on the mouth, he pulled back quickly, looking kind of pissed. Now I just wanted to punch the bitch.

"Jeanne." Even I could hear the warning in his tone.

She raised her perfectly manicured hands and backed away, but not before giving me a bitch-face and then practically flounced out of the room.

I turned to him and raised my eyebrows. He had the grace to look ashamed. "I broke up with her months ago, but she's best friends with Bobby's girlfriend, so she shows up a lot." I felt my eyebrows go even higher. "I swear to god Stephanie!"

I was too irritated to talk about what just happened, especially considering I had no real right to be pissed off. "Un-huh, here, get in the wheelchair and we'll get you out of here."

"Stephanie."

"Here. I'll move it closer. Hop in." I held out my hand to help him. He took it and shifted into the chair.

"I was going to ask you if you wanted to go out sometime." He said as I bent to move the footrests for him. I think my eyebrows were somewhere above my hairline at this point.

I unlocked the brakes without a word and wheeled him out to the waiting room, where his not-a-girlfriend/girlfriend was pacing.

"If you go and pull your car around, I'll bring him out." I said to her as neutrally as possible.

She looked from me to him a few times and marched outside. I kept him in the vestibule until she pulled up and ran around to open his door.

"Stephanie, I…"

"Here's your paperwork. Have Jeanne keep an eye on you today and tonight." I felt that anger bubbling up again. "Feel better soon." I said as I closed the car door behind him. He rolled the window down and started talking to me, but his words were lost as _Jeanne_ sped away.

I sighed, feeling unsettlingly bereft, considering I'd just met this guy. I wandered into the ER and went to strip his bed. Lula joined me, Mrs. Krowicki, now back to sleep.

"Things looked pretty cozy between you and Mr. Hot Firefighter." She wheedled, always my wing-woman.

"Yeah, it was all good until his girlfriend showed up." I said.

She shook her head, "All the good ones…" Yep, my sentiments exactly.

I lobbed the dirty linens in the basket and finished out my shift, a little grumpier than usual. Pissed at myself that I could not get him and his perfect body and his wonderful laugh out of my mind.

**Next chapter will post tomorrow night.**

**Let me know what you think,**

**Love,**

**EA xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks so much for all the feedback. I love hearing what you guys think. This little story only has 5 chapters and I'll post one each evening until it's done.**

**Sorry that my other stories aren't updating as regularly. With my monkeys out of school for the summer I don't have much time. I'm trying to bank at least one chapter for each story before I post so those will update after that. Everything will get back to normal in September.**

**I don't own these two, but I sure do love hooking them up. This plot, however, is all mine.**

RPOV

I tried to talk to Steph, through the open window, but Jeanne floored the gas and zipped out of the parking lot at the speed of light. This situation needed to be addressed though. Now.

"Jeanne, listen, thanks for the ride, but I'm staying at the station house tonight."

"I thought you'd want to come over. I can take care of you tonight. Carlos, I was so worried about you. Sarah said that you hit your head." She said as she continued to go towards her house.

"No, I'm staying at the station tonight." I said sharply, that right there, was one of the reasons I didn't ask for a third date. Her eyes snapped to mine for a second before returning to the road. "I don't need to be taken care of. I can't go on calls, but I do have some paperwork that has to be done." I told her more gently. "Would you mind dropping me off there?"

"Sure sweetie. I can even wait for you to get done and drive you home." Christ, does she ever fucking listen?

"I'm. Staying. There. Tonight." I said slowly, so she couldn't purposely misinterpret my meaning. Another of her multitude of manipulative talents.

I could now add cockblocking to the list of reasons why I should never have gone on those couple of dates with her and I only did that because Bobby and his girlfriend wouldn't shut the fuck up about it.

"Fine. You don't have to talk to me like I'm a moron." She snapped.

"Apparently I do. Not that I'm not grateful for you picking me up, but what the hell was that back there. Telling Stephanie that you're practically family. I think I've made it very clear that I don't want us to see each other anymore. If I'd known that they had another call to go to, I would've called one of my sisters to come and get me."

"Well, excuse me for trying to be nice!" She cried, edging toward the hysterical. Thankfully we were almost to the station. "I'm sorry I gave _Stephanie_ the wrong idea."

"You kissed me! You weren't trying to be nice, you were peeing a circle around me!"

"Oh, so I'm not allowed to kiss you now?"

"Yes. That's what happens when people break up. They stop kissing." Holy shit, but this woman was a little bit crazy.

She pulled up on the front apron and slammed the car into park. Bobby and Les were just climbing out of the truck and started to amble over.

"You've made your point very clear, Carlos." Finally! "I won't bother you again." She said sounding hurt.

"Look, Jeanne, I'm sorry if that was mean, but being nice wasn't really getting me anywhere. We've had this conversation so many times. I'm sorry if I upset you, that wasn't my intent. Thank-you for picking me up." I opened the door and had to remind myself to not jump out of the car, my pretty Nightingale wasn't around to catch me.

Thankfully, Bobby and Les anticipated my balance issues and stood on each side of me as I hoisted myself out of the car. I shot Bobby a death glare, which was somewhat watered down as the world was spinning again.

"I'm sorry! I thought Sarah would go and get you!" He whispered.

"Whatever." I muttered and started shuffling through the open bay door towards my office. I guess I was tilting to the right as Les had to grab me under my armpit and walked with me. "Jesus, this fucking sucks." I bitched, plunking down in my chair.

"Well, you're all smiley sunshine." Les said from across the desk.

"My head's killing me. Can you close the blinds?" He hopped up and closed them, the dimness diminishing the jackhammer effect in my skull that coincided with me first climbing into Jeanne's car. I dug some Tylenol out of my desk drawer and gulped them back dry. "Where were you guys?"

"Smoky conditions in a house. Some guy popped a roast in the oven and forgot about it. Dumbass. Damn thing was charcoal by the time he remembered it. One of the neighbors saw the smoke coming out of his window and called us…So, did the hot nurse take _good _care of you?" He asked with a lecherous grin. "She did a pretty good job of stripping you."

"She was very professional." _Except when she had her hands on my ass… good times._ "She stayed with me the entire time, even when I was puking."

"Dude." He said, face screwed up in disgust.

"Yeah, I know. And when I bitched about it, she pretty much told me to shut the fuck up and stop whining."

"That's awesome." I smiled, yeah she was.

"I was just about to ask her out and Jeanne showed up, acting like we were engaged and shit. She sent her to the waiting room, but all the flirting stopped and she blew me off after that. She probably thinks I'm a giant douchebag trying to hook up with every woman I meet."

"Just explain it to her. Jeanne puts off such a 'crazy bitch' vibe, that I'm sure it won't take much convincing. Send her some flowers or something as a thank-you; get the ball rolling."

"I was going to." I picked up the incident report I would have to file and the typeface swirled on the paper. "I just have to wait until I can read the numbers on my credit card."

"Where's your wallet, in your pants?" I nodded and he pointed to the bag of my stuff they'd brought back with them from the hospital. "I'll take care of it, you go and lie down."

"Thanks. Her name is Stephanie Plum. Don't write anything too nasty on the card." He had the nerve to look hurt. Les wasn't known for his politesse. "Your shift is over in half an hour?"

"Yep."

"I'm supposed to have someone stay with me tonight. Can one of you guys do that?" I asked handing over the instructions that Stephanie had given me.

"Don't worry Cap, one of us will do it. Do we have to sponge bathe you too?" He asked batting his eyelashes.

"Shut up." I threw a stress ball from my desk top at him and missed by a mile. "Shit. This sucks, I can't fucking see straight." The smile slid off his face.

"I'm glad this wasn't worse, Carlos. This place would suck without you." I'd been trying not to think too hard about that. If my helmet hadn't been on, my head would have been squashed like a melon. We'd lost one of our best guys, Silvio, last year after he suffered some very serious burns and smoke inhalation. I guess that's why they panicked a little today and hustled me to the hospital.

"Yeah." I agreed, standing slowly and using the desk and the wall for balance, I managed to shuffle through to the bunk room all on my own and collapsed on my bed. Grateful for my coworkers who were like siblings and the fact that I hadn't died today. I wished I hadn't gotten hurt, but I'd met a very intriguing woman because of it, so I couldn't be all that upset about it. I wasn't going to let her go easily though. Before Jeanne had shown up, Stephanie had definitely been flirting with me. There was no doubt in my mind that, had I not been dizzy and still nauseous, I would have been embarrassingly hard when she fell on top of me in that wheelchair. She was so close to me that I could see the flecks of dark blue in her eyes and feel her breath on my lips. There were other parts of her anatomy pressed against me as well, but I'm not going to think about that right now. Feeling her sliding these pants up my legs and seeing her look up at me with those big, blue eyes, had me wishing she was taking them off instead. She was kind and beautiful and warm. She had a little bit of a sharp edge to her too, like the way she kicked Jeanne out of the emergency room. Yeah, there was no way I wasn't going to ask her out again.

By Friday, I was back to my normal self. I hadn't had a dizzy spell since Tuesday and my balance was fine, outside of the occasional headache, I was ready to get back to work. The Battalion Chief was making me stay off for three more days and then I'd be back. I was also way too excited to get my sutures removed, knowing that bumping into Stephanie was a possibility. Les had said he had included my phone number on the card, but she hadn't called. Hopefully that wasn't a bad sign.

I stopped at a florist on the way to Dr. Weber's office and had them put together a bunch of flowers. I hand wrote the note myself this time, hoping that I might get better results. I hit the doctor's office first, maybe seeing me without the stitches in would work in my favor too. Half an hour later I was de-stitched and on my way to the emergency room, flowers in hand. I approached the nearest intake clerk and asked to speak to Stephanie.

"She's not here." A nurse further down behind the desk interjected. She had been here on Sunday too.

"Can you give these to her for me?" I asked handing the flowers over.

She just stared at me for a beat. "Don't you think the other ones were enough?" The attitude in her loud voice, ominous.

"I'm sorry?" I started edging towards the far end of the long desk hoping that she'd follow me. It was deserted over there and we were attracting a lot of attention where we were. She moved with me whisper-yelling the whole time.

"Yeah, you should be. She takes care of you like that and then you turn out to be an asshole? Flirting with her and dazzling her and then your stacked girlfriend shows up? And don't even get me started on the card you sent her with the other flowers. What's wrong with you?"

_Dazzling her? Dazzling is good. _Fucking Lester, though. I never should've trusted him with that.

"What did the note say?"

"What do you mean, what did the note say. You wrote the damn thing. She wasn't amused is all you need to know."

"I didn't write it." I said quietly.

Her eyebrows drew together even more. "What?"

"I couldn't see straight, I was so dizzy when I got back to the firehouse and I wanted to send her flowers right away, so, my friend said he'd do it for me. Would you please tell me what it said?"

I got the glare again. "It said, Stephanie, your name should be Osteoporosis, because you're giving me a serious bone condition, and then your phone number. Like she'd call you after all this fuckery!"

I was going to strangle Lester as soon as I saw him. How the hell does he ever get laid saying shit like that? I didn't normally go into personal business with strangers, but I could tell from her protectiveness that she was very close with Stephanie and I was hoping she might put in a good word for me.

"Okay, two things. That woman is not my girlfriend. I went on two dates with her months ago and she keeps showing up because her friend dates one of my mine. I think she's finally gotten it now, I said some things that upset her on Sunday and she hasn't been around since." She cheered up a bit at that. "Secondly, I did not write that note. I was not feeling good by the time I got to the firehouse on Sunday and I stupidly accepted an offer of help from a friend. I should have dictated what I wanted to say, but by that point I could barely keep my eyes open. Will you see her this weekend?"

"No, she went away with family." She hadn't defrosted completely, but she was being nicer than before.

"What's your name?"

"Lula."

"Lula, if you talk to her, would you tell her I stopped by here, and maybe, give her these?" I extended the flowers to her.

Lula finally smiled, albeit slightly, and took them from me. "I'll put them in water. She'll be back on Monday, first shift." She plucked the card off of the paper around the flowers and handed it back to me. Keep this till you see her again, the nosy bitches around here will have that envelope open before you're in your car. And, yes, I'll tell her you stopped by. You need to tell her what you told me yourself, though. She makes up her own mind about things, always, and my girl is friggin' smart."

"I will, thank-you. I'll be back at work on Monday. Do you think she'd get mad if I stop by here again?"

"Just stop by and plead your case, She'll listen if she has time."

"Thanks Lula. You're a really good friend." I said, unable to hide my grin.

"Get out of here." She mock-growled with a reluctant smile.

12:00 am started my 24 hour shift Monday morning. I made it my mission to get to the hospital before she left at 3:30. That never happened. We were called to a row house fire at 9:00 am and spent the next seven hours putting that fucker down. Fortunately there were only minor injuries and only two out of the twenty houses on the block were destroyed. Given the way those houses were all sandwiched together, losing only two was a miracle.

Bobby, Tank, Les and I were in our engine on the way back when I asked Tank to detour outside to St Barts, on the off-chance that Steph might have had to work late. I hopped out and yanked open the rear cab door. "You, out. You're coming with me." I said pointing to Les.

"What Cap? Do I need to hold your hand?" He smirked.

"No jackass, you're going to explain that it was you that wrote that stupid fucking note if she doesn't believe me. If she's even still here." I took a look at my watch and wiped the soot off it. I didn't think she'd still be here a full hour after her shift should've ended.

We wandered in to the waiting room and I again approached the desk, acutely aware that I reeked of house fire. A putrid amalgamation of burnt plastic and wood. My nose had long ago been dulled to the scent, but I fervently wished that I had had the time to go back to the station to shower before coming here. Our helmets were in the engine's cab, but if my hair looked anything like Les' she'd take one look at me and run the other way. Les broke away and hit the vending machine for some Gatorade. Coward.

The twenty-something woman behind the computer looked up at me, smiling inquiringly. "Hi. Can I help you?"

"Is Stephanie Plum here? I was told she'd be here today."

She smiled brightly as Les slouched over and adopted his 'exhausted hero" pose against the counter. Heavily leaning on one elbow to show his arm and shoulder muscles in the best possible way and a tired-eyed, slow smile at whatever unsuspecting female is in the vicinity. He's used this pose in a hundred different places, it's gotten him free coffee and doughnuts, free diner food and so many phone numbers it's ridiculous. I rolled my eyes and cleared my throat to get her attention. Her eyes snapped to me.

"You just missed her, she left about fifteen minutes ago."

_Dammit!_

Her gaze drifted back to Lester and I cut him off before he could really go into the Rico Suave routine. "Is she working tomorrow?" Her eyes shifted back and narrowed a bit.

"I can't give you her schedule, it's against policy."

"C'mon, she saved his life, sweet thing. He just wants to say thank-you." Les murmured, leaning towards her. "We won't tell anybody you told us." The poor kid didn't stand a chance against him. He must really feel shitty about the note because he was pouring it on thick. She looked around her quickly and typed a few things into her computer.

"This is the only time I'll do this, so don't ask again. She'll be here Wednesday, first shift again."

"Thank-you." I rapped on the counter and exited to the parking lot, giving Les some time to finish his pick-up. He ambled out a few minutes later, shit-eating grin firmly in place.

"I think I'm in love! Did you see the…eyes on her?"

"Oh yeah? What color were they?" Tank asked from behind the wheel.

"Umm…34DD?" Bobby and Tank cracked up. "We're going out tomorrow, I'll get back to you on the eye color." Les was kind of a slut, no doubt he was spot on, on the cup size. He was never disrespectful to the women he saw, he just had an uncanny ability to radar in on women who were just as commitment phobic as him. They'd have a good time for a few weeks, have the world's most undramatic breakup and they'd both move on. He hadn't declared his love for anyone in a while though, so this one might be different.

The rest of the evening ran smooth as silk, until 11:00 that is. Our phones and radios all started squawking at the same time, followed by a round of loud groans. No one wanted to go out on a working apartment fire this deep into our shift. We'd be working late tonight.

I could see the flames before we'd pulled to a stop outside the address on Hamilton. The fire pouring out of a second floor window, smack in the middle of the three story, red-brick, apartment building. Les and Bobby immediately started rolling out lines as the buildings occupants were streaming out of the lobby. Tank was working the pump on the truck as another engine pulled up. I gave them their orders and opened my Scot pack, ready to go in and search. Three of the building's tenants had told us there was one person trapped inside 2C. The unit across from the one that was fully involved. Everyone else was accounted for. I had a crewwoman from Co. 54 take over the pumper and had Tank follow me in. He and I have been entry partners for years now, even completely blind and in temps hotter than an oven, we could find each other.

We entered the lobby that was almost opaque with smoke. Water and steam from the hoses making it even more difficult to see. According to the residents we needed to go up two flights of stairs and 2C would be two doors down on the right. Unfortunately, the hallway was a veritable blast furnace and flames licking up the walls and across the ceiling around the unit involved. If we didn't have fifty pounds of fire-proof gear on, there was no way we'd get this close.

"Cap?" Tank's voice sounded over the radio.

"Fall in behind me."

"Understood." It was incredibly difficult to see, so I flung my hand out until I found the wall at my right, smoothing it forward until I felt the first door on my right. "2A, one more." I said to Tank.

I radioed down to Les. "56."

"Cap?"

"Do another head count. We're not getting back on this floor. It's coming through the door of 2D. Send Hal and Ella up here with lines."

"They should be right behind you. Give me a second on the head count." We finally got to 2C and I put my hand to the door to check for heat; it was cool. I could hear nothing over the roar coming from 2D, so I put my ear to the door to see if could hear inside. Nothing.

"Cap. Everyone but the lady in 2C is down here. She just stuck her head out of the window. Her fire escape looks like it collapsed when she tried to step out. We're backing the bucket truck up to the window right now.

"Tank?"

"Ready." He pulled back his sledge hammer and the door splintered inward.

Surging inside and slamming the door behind us I took stock. There was less smoke in here than there was in the hallway, but there was enough to make breathing difficult. "Hello? Ma'am? Trenton Fire Department. Ma'am?" We strode through the small space quickly, and opened a door at the end of a tiny hallway. The door was very slow to open as there was a wet towel stuffed along the bottom crack. "Hello? Trenton FD, Ma'am?" Squinting through the dark, lit intermittently with strobe flashes I could make out a small silhouette standing by the open window.

"Oh! Thank god! The fucking fire escape broke off when I tried to climb out and…Wait, Captain?"

_Holy shit!_

"Stephanie?" No fucking way. I stepped closer and sure enough, there she was.

"Miss, step this way, you can climb down the ladder." Hector was in the bucket, at the window, hands extended to help her out.

"I got it." I said to him. "Back up and I'll step out first." I grabbed her hands and turned her to face me.

"Sir." He backed down the ladder and I backed out, never letting go of her hands. As soon as her one leg made it through the window, I grabbed her around her ribs and lifted her the rest of the way to me, while Tank held her from the back. I set her down in front of me noting that other than a fair bit of panic etched on her face and her hair all over the place, she looked okay.

Then I realized what she was wearing.

Tiny shorts and a thin tank top, that was it. No shoes, no socks, didn't even look like she was wearing underwear.

She spun in a panic and looked at Tank imploringly. "Rex! Can you reach in and grab the hamster cage?"

He smiled his big smile and his head and hands popped back through her window, emerging with a small plastic cage, hamster nowhere to be seen.

She tugged it out of his hands and shook it a little. I didn't see any movement, but she seemed to calm after a second.

"Thank-you." She beamed up at him and then turned to me. Damn, but she was pretty.

"We need to climb down so they can move this truck out of the way." I told her. She went to step down the first step, but I held her arm.

"Tank take the cage. I'll carry her down." He cocked an eyebrow, picking her up was kind of unnecessary.

"Okay." He said slowly, pulling it out of her hands. I slid my hand behind her knees and hoisted her over my shoulder.

"I can walk you know. You're flashing my ass for everyone to see." She muttered.

"There's glass everywhere. I don't want you to step on it." I made the mistake of looking towards her when I said that and nearly dumped us both down the ladder.

Holy shit, but those shorts were really, really short.

Without putting her feet on the blacktop, I moved her till I had one arm under her knees and one arm under her neck. "I'm going to put you in the cab of the pumper for now to stay warm. You can have my jacket when this is put down, okay?" Her eyes flashed to mine and she nodded. Yet again, my face was within kissing distance of hers. I'll give you one guess what I wanted to do right there in front of all my crew, the EMTs that had just shown up and the cops that were running around.

"Can you breathe okay? I should give you to the EMTs." I said as I set her down on the engine's passenger seat.

"No, I'll be okay." She insisted as Tank slid the hamster in next to her and busied himself checking the pumper's pressure gauges.

"How about if they check you out right here?" I stepped aside and an EMT, stethoscope in hand, appeared in front of her.

"Steph, you should know better than to think we'd take your word for it." He said sternly. I grabbed the blanket off the stretcher he'd trailed behind him and wrapped it around her shivering shoulders. It was nearly Halloween and her pajamas weren't designed for the crisp chill in the air.

"I'll be back in a few. Stay here okay?" She nodded, looking a little crazed, eyes wide, pupils huge and teeth chattering. Clearly in the middle of an adrenaline surge.

I turned back to the building and was pleased to note that there was only smoke now billowing out of the window of 2D. The arcs of water shooting into the window sending up huge plumes of steam. Ella radioed down that she and Hal had it contained inside. I gave orders to keep wetting it down inside and out to prevent a flare up and turned back to Stephanie. She looked like she was three seconds away from punching the EMT in the face.

"Gazara, I'm fine! You said yourself that my lungs are clear. My BP's up because I'm having a massive adrenaline spike." She half yelled. "I'm not going to the damn hospital." Now who's being an uncooperative patient?

"I'll tell your mother." He countered. I guess they knew each other.

"Go ahead. I'm not going. Give me the refusal form. I. Am. Fine." She glowered at him. He dug through his clipboard and produced a sheet of paper. She scrawled her signature and handed it back to him. "I'm not mad at you Eddie. I'm just…" She waved her hand up and down.

"I know Steph, its fine. If you have any trouble breathing at all, call me immediately. Will you go to your mom's tonight?" She shrugged her shoulders and slumped against the seat.

"I have no idea."

"You know where I live." The surge of jealousy I felt swell with his words was completely ridiculous, considering they obviously knew and cared about each other and I had only met her once, well twice now.

"Thanks Eddie." He hugged her tight and dragged his stretcher over to his rig.

"We have to stop meeting like this." I said to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, tell me about it." She sighed tiredly. She gazed up at me and pushed the brim of my helmet up. "You're healing well, it's all sealed up." She gently ran her fingers over my newest scar. "I hear that you've been stalking me at work. This is going a bit far to get to talk to me though." She joked, gesturing to the smoky building.

"A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do." She graced me with a smile. I looked around and the cops were loading the tenants into their cruisers, probably dropping them off with family members or temporary shelter. "Do you have somewhere to stay tonight, Stephanie? My shift is over…" I looked down at my sooty watch. "An hour ago. We'll have to be here for another hour or so and then I have to go back and write this up, but after that, I can take you anywhere you need to go."

"Okay, thanks." She said quietly, shivering despite the blanket over her.

I shrugged out of my coat and draped it around her. "It probably stinks, but it'll keep you warm for now." I reached past her and turned the knob on the heater, shocked when her arms wrapped around my neck.

"Thank-you." She whispered against my ear. She was still trembling so I pulled her closer and held her tight.

"You're welcome." I whispered back. I pulled my face back so I could see her and was within striking distance again. "Stephanie, about Jeanne…"

She nodded, "Lula told me."

"Two dates and she had our future all planned out!" She laughed. "And I had nothing to do with that note." I added

She giggled, "She told me that too. I'll forgive you this time, being you had a brain injury going on."

_This time…_

"So, if I ask you out again, you'll give me a chance?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes. I guess I have to, you just pulled me out of a burning building and all." I couldn't have stopped the grin that broke across my face if I'd tried.

"Do you want to use my phone and call someone you can bunk with for the night, your friend Eddie maybe?" I asked, all sly like.

Her head fell back on a sigh. "Ugh, no, his wife and kids will be up at the crack of dawn, its chaos getting them off to school in the morning." Good to know. "My mom will go crazy and I can't sleep there either. There are three grown people in that house and the stampede for the only bathroom in the morning sounds like a herd of elephants. My sister just had a baby, so I don't want to disturb her and Lula had a date tonight, I _really _don't want to interrupt that. She's going to be mad that I didn't call her, but she'll get over it. There are still firefighters in there?" I nodded. "Do you think they could open my door and grab my purse before they leave the building? It should be on a hook just inside the door, if my wallet's intact, I can go to a hotel. If you'd drop me off?"

The words were out of my mouth before I even thought about it. "Stephanie, you can stay with me." She looked at me skeptically. "You can have my bed. I'll stay on my couch. My baby sister even left some clothes there last time she stayed over. She's a little shorter than you, but we should be able to find something that works." Please say yes. I couldn't shake the image of her in my kitchen, sipping coffee in the morning. She stared at me for a few beats. I could tell she was going to turn me down. So I added a last plea with a pout. "C'mon, I make a mean breakfast."

That pretty smile broke out. "Okay, yes. I'll do anything for good food." Good to know too.

"Captain, can we get a little help over here?" Bobby yelled at me.

"Oh! I'm sorry." She said letting go of my neck.

"Don't be." I backed away and started draining the hoses and re-rolling them. Feeling a little bad that I hadn't done all that much on this call.

It was 2:30 am by the time we got back to the station, Stephanie sandwiched between me and Tank in the front seat. I dug some sweatpants and socks out of my locker and she pulled them on. Tightening the drawstring and rolling the cuffs up they almost fit.

"Go ahead and sit." I nodded toward the old leather couch in my office. "I just need a few minutes to write this up and we can get out of here." She sat and pulled her legs underneath her, clutching her rescued purse in her lap, quiet and tired.

Her eyes were closed and she was curled up on the couch when I finished my write-up. I crept over and sat on the edge of the cushion next to her, gently shaking her. "Steph." I said quietly. "I'm all done. We can go now."

"Okay." She mumbled, stretching long, making my mouth go dry. I probably should have given her a shirt along with the sweatpants. She had left my coat on its hook in the bay and the little tank top she had on was sort of transparent.

I stood quickly, clasping my hands together so they didn't go on an uninvited exploration. I grabbed the hoodie off the back of my chair and handed it to her. Holding it open, she slipped into it and stood there sleepily. I zipped it for her and touched her cheek, "You ready?" Her eyes snapped all the way open, suddenly wide awake.

"Yes." She licked her lips. "You're a good man. Thank-you for all this." She craned up and kissed my cheek, not one of those air kisses either, this was a full-lipped, sweet, soft kiss that did something weird to my insides and I had to close my eyes at the sensation.

"Anytime." I meant that too. "C'mon, I'm beat." I took her hand and towed her to my car.

"The bedroom is through here." I told her as she followed me through my apartment. "The bathroom is right there if you want to shower the smoke off you." I dug a clean t-shirt out of the drawer for her. "Here. For now. I'll go through my sister's stuff in the morning for something more appropriate.

"No please, you go first." She asked.

"I'm going to have something to eat first. I'm starving. You go, then I will. You hungry?" She shook her head slightly. I didn't realize how close I was standing to her until she took the shirt out of my hand, my fingers brushing against her side as I lowered my arm. She gasped quietly and her beautiful eyes snapped to mine. I backed away slowly. "I'm just gonna'…yeah." I pulled the door closed behind me and blew out a sigh. Knowing she was about to take a shower in my bathroom, fucking flooding my brain with some pretty vivid images.

I searched through my cabinets and all through the fridge and ended up pouring myself a big bowl of cereal. I'd been awake for nearly 24 hours straight and didn't have the energy for anything more complicated than that. I was rinsing my bowl, when I sensed her behind me.

"Carlos, I'm done. Bathroom's all yours." I turned and wished I didn't. If I thought she looked good in the pjs she had on before, it was nothing to how she looked now. Her hair was damp and a little crazy. My shirt came down to her elbows and to the middle of her smooth looking thighs, but it was knowing that that was all she had on was doing a number on my body.

"Thanks." I muttered, swallowing hard. She closed the gap between us and kissed my cheek again and this time I couldn't stop myself from pulling her close. I leaned back into the counter and I could feel her body against every inch of mine. I released her after a few beats, knowing that if I kissed her like I wanted to now, it would be really difficult to stop. And given the emotional night she had had, I would feel like I was taking advantage of her.

"There's cereal above the fridge if you change your mind about eating." I said, placing a clean bowl and spoon on the counter. "I'll be done in the shower in a few minutes and then my room is all yours."

"Thanks."

I forced myself to walk away, battling an almost magnetic pull back to where she was standing in the middle of my kitchen.

**We live in a first floor condo, but I'd let him carry me down a ladder anytime! What about you? ;)**

**Let me know what you thought,**

**Love, **

**EA xoxox**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I don't know if you guys are having an issue with this site or it's just me, but it took 10 hours for them to send **_**me**_** an email notification that **_**I **_**posted the last chapter. Can you do me a favor and drop me a line when you get the notification? I'm going to contact them and find out what the problem is. **

**I don't own them, but I sure do like hooking them up! This plot, however, is all mine.**

SPOV

Lula had told me that Carlos had stopped at the ER on Friday and how he had explained everything to her. Lula backing him up and his body language when Jeanne had come to pick him up went a long way to convincing me that he wasn't an asshole who jumped on every opportunity to get laid. I knew something was off about the note he sent me with that massive bouquet of flowers too. No one puts the world's worst pick-up line on such a thoughtful gift, but hey, at least it had made me laugh. Both sets of beautiful flowers were probably going to be wilted away to nothing by the time I could go home. The firefighter that had brought me my purse had said that there was only smoke damage in my home, but there was so much structural damage in the hallway, that she doubted I would be allowed in anytime soon.

And that fire! I've never been so freaking scared in my life. By the time my smoke detectors went off, the flames were already filling the hallway, blocking me from reaching both the front and back stairwells. I had retreated back to my bedroom with Rex's cage and had one foot out on the fire escape when it shuddered violently and gave a huge screeeeech, I pulled my leg back in just in time for the whole crumbling, rusty piece of shit to collapse and crash onto the macadam down below. It was at this point that I realized that I'd left my phone in the car and I'd had my landline disconnected last year because I never used it. Then I cursed myself for staying in this old building since college and the fact that my second floor apartment was just over thirty feet off the ground. If I jumped from here, I'd be one squashed Stephanie. What a fucking clusterfuck!

I could hear the sirens getting closer by that point and that was the only thing that kept me from completely freaking out. I grabbed a towel from the bathroom, wet it and shoved it under my bedroom door and waited, and waited and waited some more. I saw the trucks pull into the lot so I stuck my head out of the window and waved to get their attention. I was so fixated on the ladder truck they were backing up to my window that I didn't hear Carlos and Tank, the giant that accompanied him, enter my room. I can easily say, I've never, ever, been more relieved to see other human beings in my life. And, while I will never play the part of the damsel in distress, and I wouldn't admit this out loud, having him throw me over his shoulder like I weighed next to nothing was all kinds of sexy. He was so damn strong!

He was so sweet and gentle with me, giving me a blanket and his coat, that when he reached to turn the heater on for me I wasn't going to waste my opportunity to get my hands on him. That hug had some mystical healing powers, let me tell you. The uncontrollable shaking stopped and I felt like I could breathe properly for the first time since I woke up to the screaming alarms. And then, to have him offer me a place to stay for the night was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. I hadn't wanted to bother anyone so late at night and I would've been fine in a hotel.

It didn't strike me until I was in his shower, using his soap, that I'd met him once, well, twice now and already I was spending the night in his home. And craziest of all, I didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable with that. I stepped out of the shower and grabbed one of his towels, impressed that it was soft and fluffy and matched all the ones stacked on the shelf. His home was neat and tidy, but not obsessively so. There were framed pictures on his dresser and I peeked at them as I dried off. Most appeared to be of his family and the rest were of his fire crew. The family pictures were at a barbeque, the pool, the beach, Christmas around a pretty Christmas tree. One was of the crew in dress uniform at what appeared to be a funeral, I'm sure there was a story there. Another was of him and the giant, Tank, at a firefighter competition, huge rolls of hoses over their shoulders, mugging for the camera.

I held up the t-shirt he had given me and smiled. It was navy blue just like the one he had on now with his company number on the front and back. It came almost to mid-thigh on me, for which I was grateful. I had no underwear to put on, no shoes, no socks, no nothing… Cutting that incredibly depressing line of thought off right away, I pulled open the door and made my way into the kitchen, his broad back to me, rinsing off his bowl.

"Carlos, I'm done. Bathroom's all yours." He turned and took me in. Judging by the look he gave me, he liked what he saw, I crossed to him and kissed his still sooty cheek again. It's nice to be appreciated when you're feeling spectacularly low. Even better, when he pulled me close, close enough that I could feel _him_ press against my belly. _He really did like me in his shirt. _On any other day I would have climbed him like a tree, but it was edging in on 4:00am and my eyes were closing just cuddling with him in his kitchen.

He left to shower and I stood, bleary eyed, trying to decide if I wanted to even eat. Nope, the only thing I wanted to do was lie down and pass out. I was still vacillating between getting in his bed, like he said, or just taking the couch. Here, this man, rescued me from a burning building and then kindly invited me to stay with him and then he was giving up his own bed?

I took the couch.

There was a throw blanket over the arm and I did my best to arrange it around me. I was still trying to get it to cover my arms and legs when he came into the living room.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm not taking your bed." I muttered, still fighting with the blanket.

"Yes, you are." He said firmly. I looked up at him and felt my jaw fall open. He was wearing a pair of _very,_ low slung pajama bottoms. That was it, just the pants. I mean yeah, I'd seen him practically naked eight days ago, but that was professionally veiled. There was no medical context here, and my eyes refused to do anything but stare. My god, he was beautiful.

He took advantage of my stupefied state and pulled me to standing in front of him. He pushed some of my damp hair behind my ear. "Take my bed, Steph." That voice! He tugged me into his room and to his bed. "You'll sleep better in here." Somehow I doubted that. It was a huge king size bed in an unfamiliar room on a night when, though I was loathe to admit it, I was a little scared to be alone.

"Only if you do too." I blurted.

He looked startled. "What?"

"I don't want to kick you out of your own bed. It's huge and we're both adults, I think we can control ourselves, no?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea, I mean it's a great idea, but that whole control thing might be an issue for me." He muttered looking me up and down.

_Yeah, for me too._

"Just, please?" I whispered, looking up at him and lacing my fingers with his.

He blew out a breath. "Okay, let me just brush my teeth."

I pulled my phone out of my purse on the floor and set it to silent. So glad that he'd retrieved it for me. I'd called my parents and Lula earlier to assure them that I was safe while I was waiting in the fire truck. Anyone else that wanted to speak to me could wait could wait until I woke up in the morning.

I was on my hands and knees on top of the bed, just about to crawl under the blankets when I heard the bathroom door open. "Hey, I have…Christ." I quickly tugged the hem of his shirt down from where it had ridden up and felt my cheeks burn. He'd just seen as much of my ass as I had seen of his when he was in my ER, maybe even more. "I…uh, have a few extra toothbrushes." He held up a Costco sized pack of them. "What color do you want?" I slipped past him into the bathroom.

"I'll take the green one." I mumbled.

He was leaning against the headboard when I came back out, looking exhausted and the sheet pulled up to just under his belly button. It didn't take much imagination on my part to picture him naked under there. I slipped under the sheet surreptitiously checking for drool and laid on my side facing him. He shifted down and killed the lamp on his table. I couldn't make out much in the pre-dawn darkness, but I could see he was mirroring my position.

"Are you okay?" He whispered.

"I will be." I felt him tug my hand and I shifted closer. He fit me under his arm and I rested my head on the warm, bare skin of his shoulder. "Thank-you." His hand slid into my hair and he brought my forehead to him and kissed me softly there, making my heart go a little crazy.

"Goodnight Steph."

"Night Carlos."

I woke slowly, feeling warm and bone meltingly comfortable. It took a few minutes for the 'I am homeless' thoughts to come. But when they did, they were tempered by the warm body spooned against my back, the muscular arm slung over my waist and the large hand flat on the skin of my belly. Woops! My shirt was practically up to my tits and my bare ass was pressing back against him. He shifted slightly and snuggled even closer. If those long fingers of his moved 1 more inch south, he would be gleaning first-hand knowledge of my personal grooming habits. Much as I knew I should get up and figure out where I would be living for the foreseeable future, I couldn't seem to make myself move from this spot.

Carlos hummed deep in his throat and buried his face in my hair. "Good morning." His voice, sleepy and soft.

"Hi." I was waiting for him to realize where his hand was, and to see if I'd ever be able to breathe normally again. It took about 30 seconds for his breath to catch and his fingers to dig into my skin a tiny bit deeper.

"I'm molesting you."

"Mmmhmm."

"Are you mad about that?" He asked hesitantly.

"Nuh-uh. Are you mad that there's not an inch of space between my butt and your…man bits?"

"Does it feel like I'm mad?" He whispered in my ear. I wiggled a little to feel out the situation. "Shit, don't do that." He groaned. Nope, didn't feel like _mad_ was the right word for what he felt like. I held still, but let a smug grin spread across my face at the feeling of him getting even harder against my behind.

He stroked his hand over my stomach lightly and whispered, "You are so soft." He lightened his touch until only his fingertips were grazing me. I bit down on my bottom lip, but the moan slipped out anyway. His hand wasn't straying farther than my bellybutton, but I could feel his touch _everywhere_. He slowly slid his hand over my hip and up my side until he reached the hem of his shirt. "Much as I want to peel this all the way off you." He started to tug it back down to cover me. "I think we should go out on that date first, don't you?"

_Nooooooooooooooooo! _"Yes." I muttered. Damn him and his logic.

"I'm off today, you are too, right?" His smile at my petulant tone, evident in his voice.

"Yep, would you mind giving me a ride to my building? I want to see if I can get in and scrounge up some clothes at least."

"The fire investigator hangs with us at the station all the time. If he's there, I'm sure I can get you in. But, I'm going with you to get you through the hallway. It was a real mess when I went back in last night. I wouldn't count on moving back in anytime soon."

"Fabulous. My mother will be overjoyed to have me home." Unh. She'd be up my butt about my marital status and trying to feed me 24/7. She was an awesome woman, but ever since my sister got pregnant with baby Lisa, she's been harping on my social life.

"What do you think of this building?" He asked quietly, fingers playing with my hair.

"It seems pretty nice. Newer than mine. When was it built?"

"Five years ago, I think. I'm pretty sure there's an apartment on the fifth floor still available. I saw them move out two weeks ago. The rent is reasonable and they come in and fix stuff as soon as it breaks and…" I rolled over to look at him, "the fire escapes all function properly." He said tapping his finger on the tip of my nose. He let it trail over my lips and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. His eyes darkened in response and locked with mine. "You are so beautiful." He whispered. I felt my blush deepen further, but couldn't look away. I quashed my immediate urge to point out some flaw, (why do we do that?) and just accepted the compliment with a quiet thank-you. From his expression I could tell that he really thought that about me. I wasn't hideous, but I'd never thought of myself as _beautiful_ before. Having this strong, brave, kind, and yes, gorgeous man say I was, was ego bolstering to say the least.

I cupped his stubble roughened cheek, scratching my nails on the coarse hair. "You're not so bad yourself."

"Not so bad?" His left eyebrow arched sardonically. "Last week you called me 'a catch' and now I'm 'not so bad'."

"I was just trying to cheer you up when I said that!" The look on his face was well worth the price I'd have to pay for that massive fib. Quick as a cat he was on top of me, caging me in, with his hands on the sides of my rib cage.

_Uh-oh!_

"I don't think you're telling me the truth, Babe." He had the most evil grin on his face right now.

"What? Why?"

"Because your hands are on my ass…again." _Huh, would you look at that?_ I wasn't moving them though. "Admit it." He said with a gorgeous grin.

"Admit what?"

"You think I'm sexy." His fingers tightened on my ribs, poised to torture me. I could just tell.

"Maybe a little."

"Oh, that's it!" And he launched his attack, tickling the shit out of me. He found every damn spot that would render me a hysterical, convulsively jerking ball of ticklish mush.

"St…o…op! I…I…have…to pee!" I stuttered out between uncontrollable fits of giggles.

"Not until you admit it!" He laughed.

"I'll…wet…your…bed!" It was becoming more and more likely with each passing second of his relentless attack

"I'll change the sheets." He countered, but slowly he lightened his touch anyway. As the laughter died down to an occasional chuckle, I was able to appreciate the view I had, unimpeded now by the laugh induced tears that had clouded my vision. He was kneeling up, straddling my legs, slightly breathless from his own laughter, his incredible body exposed for my perusal. "You are the sexiest man I've ever laid eyes on." I wholeheartedly conceded. He grinned triumphantly.

I sat up and came face-to-pec with that tattoo, noticing for the first time that there was a badge number and helmet worked into the intricate art work.

"That's not your badge number is it?" I ran my finger over it.

He shivered a little and I noticed his nipple draw tight. "No." His voice deeper than normal.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked gently, pretty certain that it was the badge number of the firefighter whose funeral he was attending in the picture.

He shook his head and slid his hands into my hair. "Not right now, no." He dipped down and there was no mistaking his intent right now. He stopped an inch from my face and murmured, "Can I kiss you Steph?"

Oh god, I probably had horrible morning bre…"Yes." I blurted loudly, enthusiastically. His answering grin set off that fluttering in my belly again and he closed the last of the space between us. I let my eyes slide shut as his soft lips touched mine, the series of sensations that he triggered in my body from that sensual connection can only be described as electric. Delicious jolts of energy shooting from the very center of me all the way out to my fingers and toes. My heart was pounding and I couldn't breathe. I was warm all over, but had goosebumps everywhere.

I ran my hands up his back and held onto his shoulders, tugging him down with me as I reclined, loving the feeling of his weight pressing down on me. He ran the tip of his tongue along my bottom lip and I opened for him. He groaned and slid his tongue inside, softly stroking against mine. I felt his thumbs on my cheeks, angling my face to deepen our kiss even more. I slid one hand into his thick hair, keeping him anchored to me and slid one very low around his waist, fingers slipping under the waist of his pants, feeling his silky skin. He kept his lower body very still, but I could feel him hard against me and knowing that there was only the soft, thin fabric of his sleep pants stopping us from making the most intimate contact was making me really, really wet. One more minute and he'd be able to feel it too.

He shifted slightly and I winced. The pressure of his hips over my ready-to-burst bladder changing my pleasurable moans into a pained squeak. He reared back to look at my face. "You okay." He husked. That voice! He was so fucking sexy. "Did I hurt you?"

"Uh-uh. I need to go to the…" I said, chest heaving. I nodded my head in the direction of his bathroom. He sat back on his heels and tugged me up by my hands. "Was that okay? The kissing?" He asked hesitantly.

"Way more than okay." I assured him. "Way more. I'll be right back."

The imminent emergency was the only thing that could've gotten me out of that bed. I took care of that and brushed my teeth for good measure, hoping we could pick up where we left off. Carlos was just walking back into the room when I opened the bathroom door.

"Coffee will be ready in a few minutes." He said cupping my cheek and kissing me quick. "I'll be right back."

I was looking at the pictures on his dresser when he emerged from the bathroom and sidled up behind me, standing close with his hands on my hips. "Those are my brothers and sisters." He said looking over my shoulder.

"Are any of them firefighters too?"

"My sister Celia volunteers in the town she's going to school in. She might be tiny, but she's as strong as me and way braver. That's her." He tapped the face of a raven haired beauty on the picture I was holding. "I was in eighth grade when she was born, so I ended up taking care of her a lot. We're pretty close because of it."

"You have a beautiful family, Carlos." Seriously. They were all insanely attractive.

"That's what my mom keeps saying." He said nuzzling his face into my neck. Kissing my pulse point, and just like that he stole my breath. I leaned back into him and slid my hand into his hair again, holding him in place. He kissed his way to my ear, making me moan and have to squeeze my legs together to alleviate the growing ache there. "Let's find you something to wear, we keep this up and I'm going to rip this shirt off you, date be damned." I was not opposed to that idea. The ripping off part, not the putting more clothes on bit. I might have been pouting because he sweetened the deal. "C'mon, I'll make us breakfast."

"You cook for real?" I asked.

"Yeah, Babe I cook. We don't have a housekeeper at the station, if we want to eat, we have to cook it or get fat getting take-out."

I turned to face him and ran both hands over his stomach. "Yeah, I can see getting fat could be problem for you guys." I looked up at him and rolled my eyes. "Jeez, how much do you work out?"

"Got to stay strong to rescue all the pretty ladies." He tugged me in close and kissed me lightly before turning me around again and guiding me into the kitchen.

"What would you like? I can do a turkey sausage and egg white omelet, or I have a bunch of fruit, or, oatmeal." He said, breaking off some grapes from his fruit bowl and dropping them in Rex's food dish.

"Whatever you feel like having. I'll eat anything." He nodded and got to work.

"Oh, if you look in that closet by the door, there should be some of Celia's things."

"Are you sure she'll be okay with that?"

"She left it all last month, knowing I'd wash it and still hasn't come back for it. Don't worry about it."

I pulled open the small walk-in closet door and saw a neatly folded and hung array of woman's clothes. I pulled out a pair of jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt and threw them on. There was no shoes or sweaters, but I was incredibly grateful for what was there.

"I hate to ask more of you Carlos." I said walking back into the kitchen. "But, would you mind if we stopped at the store? I need to get some shoes."

"Of course, Babe. I'm yours all day. I had no plans at all beyond begging you to go out with me." He said, placing a plate on the kitchen table. Okay, I'm going to need to take a second here and paint a picture of the absolute perfection in front of me. I was standing in a fairly well-appointed kitchen, with a man who was easily the most kind and handsome man I had ever met. That man had just made me a very delicious looking breakfast after offering me shelter for the night, he was also still shirtless and I was hypnotized by the subtle flex and stretch of all those incredibly defined muscles as he moved easily around that kitchen. And good god, he could kiss. I could still feel his lips on me.

"Steph?" It didn't sound like it was the first time he'd called my name.

"Oh sorry!" I stepped in front of him. "You're a little distracting."

He smiled that slightly smug smile. "Yeah?"

"Yes and you know exactly what you're doing to me or you would have put a shirt on by now."

His smile turned a little contrite. "Guilty. Come on, eat. I'll take you wherever you need to go when we're done." He started to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"To put a shirt on."

"NO!" I blurted. He stopped and slowly turned back.

Taking his seat next to me, "I'm starting to feel objectified." He said, mock scowling.

"Oh, just shut up and look pretty." He tipped his head back and laughed. God, I really loved that laugh.

It wasn't until I had cleaned my plate and was patting my mouth with a napkin that I realized that my cheeks were killing me from smiling and laughing with him. On the day after my home was basically destroyed by fire, I would've thought that I would be a sobbing mess. Huh.

I didn't even cry when I saw the massive hole in my building. A mess of charred, crocodile skin wood and debris, spilling down the stairs into the foyer. The whole place reeked of smoke and melted plastics. There was still water dripping everywhere and the walls of the foyer looked sodden and sooty.

The building super, Dylan was standing next to the fire investigator when we pulled up. They both turned and looked as we approached. "How bad is it?" I asked them.

"It's pretty bad. 2D and 3D need to be gutted and rebuilt. 1D is salvageable. The hallway outside your place is a disaster. I'm sorry Steph, but this is going to take months to straighten out." Dylan said looking totally overwhelmed.

"I think months may be optimistic. Hey Carlos." The investigator nodded at him.

"Steph, this is Andy. Andy this is Stephanie, she lives in 2C." He shook my hand.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but your home is going to be off limits for a long time. From what it looks like, the fire started with some faulty wiring. Besides the obvious work that needs to be done, it's going to take some serious electrical work to bring this place up to code." It looked like Dylan was going to start balling any second.

"I'm so sorry Steph, I had no idea something like this could have happened. Are you okay? Did you get hurt last night?"

Carlos' arm slid around my waist and he squeezed gently. "Nope. I'm fine, this big guy pulled me out." I said patting his chest, I got that blinding smile in return.

"Andy, is it okay if I take Steph in to get some of her things? The only thing she brought with her last night was her hamster." Damn skippy. I wasn't leaving my little guy in this place.

"Be very, very careful in the hallway. The floor is really bad." He warned. "If it wasn't you, I wouldn't allow it." He nodded and took my hand, towing me towards the foyer doors.

"Steph!" Dylan called. "The contractor was here this morning and she said that they'll haul the fire escape away tomorrow or the next day. You should be able to get your car out after that."

Fantastic, carless and homeless.

Despite my new sneakers, Carlos carried me carefully over the worst of the mess and deposited me inside my door.

"I can walk, you know." I still wasn't ready to admit how much I liked it when he picked me up.

"I know, but I told you I was going to keep you safe. I don't like the way the floor feels out there." The seriousness of his face was incredibly sobering.

"I'll be quick. Thank-you Carlos." I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed. I was very quickly becoming addicted to feeling his arms around me, really loving the way that we fit together. He gently released me and I stepped away and into my room, slightly shaken. There were some big emotions blooming here, sensations that were difficult to name because I'd never really felt them before. I shook it off and dragged my biggest duffle bag out from under the bed. I dug some work-out clothes from the dresser and finally put some underwear on. It was a relief to shimmy out of the slightly too small jeans and I threw them in the duffle and loaded it up quickly with clothes that I knew would probably have to be washed at least twice to get the stench out. Deciding right away that I would drop them off at my mom's. I pulled out the essentials from the bathroom and joined him in the living room. Taking stock, it seemed that the couches and mattress would need to be replaced, the smell of smoke hovered over everything like a cloud. And, I'd been meaning to replace the other furniture too. Truth be told, I really didn't feel like I should stay here when the construction was complete. I could afford a new place, maybe it was time to start looking for a house. I could always find a rental in the meantime.

"Do you think that I'd be able to look at that apartment in your building today?" His place was maybe five blocks from the hospital and it really was much nicer than this building, with its cinderblock hallways and old rusty fire escapes that didn't work.

"Maybe, I'll text the super and ask him. Is that all you're going to take with you?" He asked, hand extended for my bag.

"Yeah, it'll do for now. I can drop it off at my mom's, she's a laundry maniac. I can walk over there from here, they have this old spare car I can borrow too. Is it okay if I pick Rex up later?"

"I'll take you there, but you can do your wash at my place if you'd like that better. I'm yours all day. I told you that already."

"I should head over there no matter what. My mother's been texting me so much that she killed my battery. Oh! Let me get my charger." I grabbed that and my laptop and my kindle and shoved those in my bag.

"Are you sure you don't need anything else? I don't think they'll let you back in here for a long time."

"All my important documents are in a safety deposit box. I do all my banking and bills online. I'm chucking all the furniture and most of my shoes. These clothes will be enough for now if I can get that awful smell out." I grabbed the duffle handle and started to heave it over my shoulder. He snagged it out of my hand and slung it across his body and held his arms out for me. "What?"

"Hop up."

"You really like this carrying me thing, don't you?" I asked, trying to figure out how I was going to climb him without making the bag shift too much. He grinned and bent to kiss me. It had only been an hour or so since we'd first kissed and already it felt like we'd been doing it for years. He seemed to instinctually know the exact technique that would make my knees liquefy and make my vagina beg. Seriously, he was that good at it. Judging by the noises he was making, he liked the way I kissed him too. A lot. He broke away for a second and slipped the bag strap back over his head, the bag hitting the ground with a dull thud. He trapped me with those dark eyes and a frisson of excitement rippled down my spine. He stepped forward and I took a step back, my back making contact with the wall. His hands wrapped around my ribs, his thumbs just under my breasts and he lifted me until my legs hitched around his hips. He pressed forward slightly and pinned me there, with his gaze and his body.

"Yeah, I do. Especially like this." I watched as he slowly pressed his lips to mine, staring at each other, eyes wide open, my heart pounding even harder than before. The heat that flashed through me was so strong that my eyes had to slide closed at the intensity of it all.

My lungs were screaming for oxygen and my hands were trying to yank off his shirt when I felt his phone vibrate against my inner thigh. He reared back, chest heaving. I'd been eye-fucked before, but the look he was giving me now, coupled with the feeling of his rock solid erection pressing against my pussy was nearly enough to make me come. I shifted my hips against him, purposely rubbing. He groaned loudly and his eyes fluttered shut. His phone vibrated against my leg again, making me whimper.

"Fuck." He muttered, digging his phone out of his pocket.

_Yeah, tell me about it._

I let my head thunk back against the wall, happy that at least he hadn't put me down, or moved away from me.

"Hello." He practically growled into the phone. If I loved his laugh, then I adored his I'm-turned-the-fuck-on voice. I couldn't hear what was being said from the other end, but his whole demeanor changed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and gently allowed me to slide down his body. 'Yeah, okay. We'll be right down." Turning to me he said, "That was Andy. He wants us out, now."

I nodded. He bent to grab my bag and suddenly his arm was behind my knees and my belly was over his shoulder. "Carlos!"

"We need to go, now. Can you grab the doorknob?" I squirmed a bit and got it open. He gingerly stepped into the hallway. From my vantage point I could see all the way through to the first floor in some particularly burnt out spots. I was ridiculously relieved when we got to the bottom of the steps and he set me down again.

We waved bye to Dylan and Andy as we pulled out of the lot, taking one last look at my old building. Now firmly resolved that the next time I came here it would only be to junk the last of my things.

He followed my directions to my parent's house and pulled up in front. "If you just pop the trunk I'll bring my stuff in. I should probably stay here tonight." I muttered with a big sigh.

He chuckled, "Why are you going to stay here if you don't want to?"

"Who says I don't want to?"

"The big sigh you just let out. Stay with me again, bring your things, we'll take care of it and you can take a look at that apartment. My super texted me back." He wiggled his phone at me. "He can show it to you around 7:00 tonight if you want."

"You've done so much for me already, Carlos. I don't want to put you out any more."

He leaned in close and tucked some hair behind my ear and whispered, "Believe me, Babe. Waking up next to you this morning was a moment I'll remember for a long time." He leaned in even more until he was a hair's breadth from kissing me. "I think you felt how much I liked it when you rubbed that pretty little ass on my cock." I felt such a rush of heat at his proximity and his words that I felt sweat bead up at my hairline. He backed away and cupped my cheek. "Stay with me again tonight, Steph?"

"Yes." I blurted, flushing even brighter, fairly certain I knew what was going to happen between us tonight. It might be very soon to sleep with him, but I don't think I'd ever wanted anyone the way I wanted him. Ever.

He grinned and hopped out of the car, I watched as he rounded the hood, pulled my door open and held out a hand for me. I took it, still trying to get my shit together. He'd scattered my wits with the sheer force of his sexiness. I stood and forced myself to be cognizant of my surroundings. My mother would be able to sense my feelings about him. My sister and I used to say she was clairvoyant about our love lives. She would know within twenty paces how far a particular date had gone. It was fucking creepy that she knew when each of us lost our v-cards just by the way we walked in the door.

He started up the walkway. "Are you sure you're ready for this? My family is a little crazy." I warned him.

He just smiled at me, "Just wait until you meet mine, Babe. No way will they top them."

_I wouldn't be too sure about that._

***Sigh* I love these two. **

**Hopefully FF . net has their shit together and it doesn't take 10 hours to post this chapter!**

**Let me know what you thought.**

**See you tomorrow night,**

**Love,**

**EA xoxox**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sssssmmmmutty, smut alert!**

**I don't own these two, but I sure do love hooking them up! This plot, however, is all mine. **

RPOV

Her family wasn't crazy, at all. Her mom pulled her into a huge hug as soon as I opened the screen door, fussing and shooting questions at her about the fire. She was an older version of Steph with straight hair. Same eyes, same smile, just with a few wrinkles around them. It took a full minute for her mom to even realize I was standing there.

"Oh, hello. I'm sorry." She exclaimed disengaging from Steph.

"Mom, this is Carlos Manoso. Carlos, this is my mom, Helen. Where are Dad and Grandma?"

"It's very nice to meet you." She said as she shook my hand, looking at me appraisingly. "Your father is out with the cab and your grandmother is out with her friends. Come into the kitchen, it's so chilly out I made soup and I got some fresh bread from People's." We followed behind her as she continued talking. "I was going to run some over to Valerie in a little bit. I made up your room and did you bring your clothes with you?" She leaned over to see past me down the hallway to the door.

"No mom, I'm going to stay at Carlos' again tonight." Her mom drew up sharply, her eyes snapping between Stephanie and me. Steph hurried to add, "I'm going to see his super later on about an apartment that might be available in his building. We just left my place and I don't think I want to go back there even after the damage is repaired, which won't be for a long time apparently."

"I see." Mrs. Plum said quietly, still assessing. She turned and started pulling out bowls and ladling soup. She set everything down and ushered us to sit at the small kitchen table. I couldn't help picturing a young Stephanie sitting here doing her homework while her mom made dinner in this dated, but very homey room.

I felt Steph's fingers brush against the back of my hand and looked her way. "What?" She asked with a pretty smile.

"I'll tell you later." Her eyes narrowed, but she let it go.

Her mom gave us an inquisition about how we met and what I do for a living. She was actually very sweet, concerned about her daughter. I felt a little proud when Mrs. Plum hugged me before we left, whispering, "Thank-you for getting her out of that building." I didn't know if she meant last night or permanently.

I opened the car door for Steph and she reached up and kissed me softly before climbing back in. Sitting in her mom's kitchen had gone a long way to calm my body down, but that one quick kiss, while sweet in its intent, fueled that fire right back up. The only thing I could think of now was the way she felt this morning, tight against my body, warm and soft and nearly naked. All I had wanted to do was push my pants down and slide inside her. So damn badly. And, fuck, I knew it was quick and I wasn't going to say this to her and scare her off, but I could very easily imagine waking up like that every day. We just…fit.

Mike, my super, was putting a serious crimp in my date plans for tonight. I had really wanted to take her out tonight. I know that she was as aroused as I was this morning. Her pout when I tugged that shirt back down to cover her beautiful body, rivaled the toddler style tantrum I was having in my head. Why the hell was I insisting that we go on a date first? And then I had to go and kiss her, and now I couldn't keep my hands and mouth off of her. I had been so ready to fuck her against her foyer wall, her front door the only thing between us and a floor that could collapse at any second. Thankfully Andy had chosen that moment to call me and get my brain back to where it should've been, keeping her safe.

"What are you thinking about? This is the quietest you've been since we met." She asked pensively. "Did going there bother you? That was pretty quiet. Dad and Grandma weren't home."

"Oh, Babe, if you only knew what I was thinking." I glanced over at her and gave her a lecherous eyebrow wiggle. She laughed out loud and visibly relaxed. I pulled into a spot at the grocery store. "C'mon, help me pick something out for dinner." I met her behind the car and linked our fingers.

"You're really going to cook for me again?" She asked as we crossed the lot.

"Yeah, I'm trying to impress you. Is it working?" I side-eyed her. She was looking down at the ground, smiling big and blushing.

"Honey, I've been impressed with you since the second I saw you." She said, finally looking me in the eye. I swooped down and kissed her, not letting myself get carried away. There were at least five people trying to get past us and into the store.

I wrapped my arm around her and grabbed a hand basket. "What do you like to eat?"

She beamed up at me. "What do you feel like cooking? I'm not picky with food."

"Salmon?"

She nodded, wide eyed. "I love it."

I grabbed a cedar plank, some lemons and some fresh spinach too and we hit the checkout. After a minor scuffle to pay for the food, in which I emerged victorious, she only relented after I told her exactly how she could repay me, we emerged into the crisp fall air grinning like idiots.

Dropping the bags in the trunk, I cupped her face and kissed her. I kissed her in the car, I kissed her in my apartment's parking lot, in the elevator, in the hallway in front of my door. We dropped our bags on the floor and we had a replay of her foyer wall in my front hallway. She was right, I fucking loved picking her up. There was something about the way her legs wrapped around me that made me want to fuck her brains out. And her moans and whimpers, and the way she mashed her tits into my chest. Her eyes too, the way they went from sky to navy as she rubbed herself against me, making me feel like I was going to explode in my jeans. I backed away from her before I tried to rip her tight work-out pants off her, and leaned against the opposite wall, trying to catch my breath. My cock was killing me, I'd been hard as a rock since pretty much first thing this morning and it was trying its hardest to break free.

"We're going to need to take a break from that for a while, Babe." She nodded, looking down at my crotch, her eyes glazed and she licked her lips.

_Fuck, not helping._

"I'll show you where the washer is." I swallowed hard and grabbed her duffle.

"Yeah." She panted. She followed me into the kitchen, unzipping her sweatshirt, revealing another of those thin tank tops. She was trying to kill me, I swear it. I opened the laundry closet door and showed her where everything was. I put all the food away and set the cedar plank to soak. Turning around I found her bent at the waist, digging through the contents of her bag, her ass practically waving at me. I spun away, giving myself a quick squeeze through my jeans, I was seriously starting to worry about the long term effects of this perpetual hard-on.

"Shit!" She gasped, I heard a muffled thunk and then something roll across the floor. Turning back, she was on her hands and knees now trying to retrieve whatever it was from under the table. I (very carefully) bent down to help. "NO! I'll get it!" She groaned, her face flushed bright red.

"Let me help." I insisted, reaching through the maze of chair and table legs, my fingers finally connected with something cylindrical. "Got it."

She sat back on her heels, both hands covering her face, murmuring, "no, no, no."

Puzzled by her reaction, I looked down at the object in my hand and felt a big grin spread across my face. "Babe, care to explain?"

She was still mumbling to herself. I couldn't catch all of it but I definitely heard…"Fucking Lula…her damn fault…never even got to use the damn thing."

I tapped the hot pink dildo in my hand. "Steph?"

"What?" Came her garbled response.

I tugged on her hands and tilted her chin up to get her to look at me. "Out of all the stuff you left behind, did you really think you needed this?" I held it up for her to see.

"No!" She blurted, "Well, yes…" I felt my eyebrows shoot up. "Only…wait." She took a deep breath and continued. "I had a feeling that people would be going in and out of my apartment. You know, fixing it up, and I just had this god awful image of my mother finding _that_ in my bedside table." She flapped her hand in its direction.

She was cute when she was flustered…and it was kind of sick how turned on I was right now.

"You haven't used it? Is that what you said?"

Her cheeks got even pinker as she shook her head. "Not yet, no." I felt myself get, unbelievably, even harder at that _yet_. I really wanted to see that.

"What?" She breathed.

"What?" I asked.

"What did you just say?"

"I asked if you'd used it."

"No, after that."

_Shit. _My mouth was usually pretty good at staying shut.

"It shouldn't be a surprise that I want to see you naked, Babe. I've been mauling you since this morning."

"Watching me with a toy goes a bit beyond seeing me naked, Carlos." Her whole demeanor changed. Her embarrassment gone, she crept closer on her knees, looking like a total sex goddess. It was amazing how quickly she could turn the tables, now I was the one gaping and sweating. I sat back as she came even closer, she straddled my legs and moved until she was pressed up against me. "Lula gave it to me a few weeks ago. She was tired of hearing me complaining about my…_loneliness_, but I feel like it's too big, you see?" She pulled it out of my hand and curved her hand around it, fingers and thumb only just touching around its girth, evil grin firmly in place. I swear to god, I had the hardest cock known to man, ever. I was thicker than the toy and by her face I think she'd already figured that out, if she thought that was too big…

"Look what else it does." She whispered in my ear. She twisted the base and the whole thing started to vibrate, pretty fucking strongly too. Screw wanting to watch her use it, I wanted to use it on her first. Actually I needed to fuck her first, without a toy, just me, making her come, that's what I really wanted.

"Christ, Babe!" I shoved my hands in her hair and crashed my lips to hers. She responded by groaning and thrusting her tongue in my mouth. I felt her hands at the hem of my shirt and she tugged it up. I let go of her momentarily and allowed her to whip it off me. Dragging hers off too before diving back in. I held tight to her and stood and she wrapped her arms and legs around me. I staggered to the couch, drunk on the feeling of her warm skin on mine, and collapsed down with her still draped around me. She sat back slightly and brought her hands to the clasp in the front of her pretty lace bra. I was completely tongue-tied, dying to see more of her. "Wait, let me." I managed to get out and her hands fell away. I trailed the back of my pointer finger over the swell of her breast, my throat going dry feeling the supple firmness of it. I rubbed my knuckle over the hard little nipple, my attention torn between what my finger was doing and the look on her face. I hooked my finger under the clasp and tugged until it popped open. I pulled the straps down her arms and flung her bra away.

"Goddamn, you're perfect Steph." I rubbed my knuckle over the tip again, feeling my mouth actually start to water. Her tits really were perfect, perky and firm. The full lower curve so luscious, I wanted to fucking bite it. I wrapped my hands around her ribs and brought her closer. Bending slightly, I flicked my tongue out over the very tip of her nipple and she mewled. I needed to hear that noise again. Quickly. So I did it again, lingering a bit this time.

"Carlos." She moaned. She fucking _moaned_ my name. The mewling was good and all, but the moaning my name bit, I could listen to that for hours. I sucked that perfect nipple into my mouth and she clamped both hands around the back of my head and started whispering, "Oh my god," and grinding down hard, over and over again, making my eyes roll back and moan around the breast stuffed in my mouth. I had to grab her hips to stop her movement, because I was definitely going to come. "Please don't make me stop!" She whimpered. "I'm so close."

"Let me? I want to touch you. Let me do it?" I begged.

"Please!" I pushed her off my lap and pulled her pants and little undies off and threw them over my shoulder. She made to climb back over me, but I stilled her with my hand on her belly. She was fucking flawless. Pale, smooth skin, a small waist that flared out to sexy hips and a smackable ass. She had shapely, long legs, shit, even her feet were cute, and I really wasn't a foot guy. It was what was between those legs that was screaming for my attention though. She was subtly rubbing her thighs together as I looked her over, she didn't look uncomfortable with my scrutiny, she looked horny as hell. She had a small, neatly trimmed patch of curls atop her mound and when I pulled her closer, I could see they were already slightly damp. When I looked up at her, she cradled my face and hoarsely whispered, "Please Carlos."

"Yeah…I'll take care of you, Babe." I smoothed my hand all the way up her leg around her hip and cupped her ass cheek, giving it a gentle squeeze. She stumbled closer still and I kissed from just under her belly button to her hip and back, as I coaxed her legs further open. I could smell her arousal and knowing it was me that was causing it was just…

_Fuuuuuuccccckkkkk._

Clenching her ass a little tighter, I trailed my other hand up her leg, rubbing my thumb in the soft crease between hip and thigh. Her breath stuttered and I looked up at her again, she was panting and flushed and oh-so-sexy. Rather than tease her, I slipped that thumb between her legs and ducked down a bit to see what I was doing. Forgive my crassness, but she had the most delicious looking pussy. Pink and wet, and damn, so fucking warm. Did I mention wet?

"Is this for me, Babe? You're fucking dripping!" She nodded, her knees buckling slightly when I slipped my thumb between her lips and rubbed it through her slickness.

"Yesssss." She hissed. Her hands flew to my shoulders when I slid the tip of my thumb inside her tight heat. I pulled it out and replaced it with my pointer finger, watching avidly as my thumb appeared slick and shiny with her. I used my other hand to part her lips so I could see what I was doing. I traced my thumb in a circle around her clit and her hands clutched harder into my shoulders. I did it again and saw the muscles in her legs pull really taut.

I pulled my hand away, grinning at her plaintive moan. "I just need you to lie down, Steph. You're so tense." I scooted over and guided her to sit facing me with her back at the arm of the couch. She moved to pull her legs up, but I held her knee open and had to actually wipe the drool from my mouth at what was revealed to me.

I love getting a woman off, I usually work my way up to oral, using fingers first, but I was fucking dying to get a good taste of her. Her heavy-lidded stare screamed of her need, so I knew she wouldn't turn me down when I loomed over her and asked, "Can I lick you Steph. I need to taste you."

"Just…please Carlos." She whispered to me. I took her mouth again, plunging my tongue inside, loving the way she curled her hands around my shoulders. The tiny bite of her nails on my skin was only adding to the lust consuming me. I worked my way down her body, stopping to pay attention to the breast I'd neglected earlier. She was so fucking responsive to me, arching up and trying to get as much body contact as possible. I slid off the couch and kneeled in front of her, easing her left leg over my shoulder and pushing her right as high out of the way as possible. Her hands had shifted to my hair, her nails lightly scratching my scalp. I was right where I wanted to be, my mouth inches from her pussy. I parted her lips again and locked eyes with her as I took a long slow lick. Goddamn, did she taste fucking amazing, musky and slightly sweet. I was really going to enjoy this.

"Jesus, you taste good." Her back arched and she moaned loud and long when I slid a finger back inside her. My cock was throbbing and was being bent into an unnatural angle, so I tugged the button fly open and sighed in relief and then really got down to business. I was all over the place, flicking her clit with the tip of my tongue, intermittently sucking it between my lips. I worked a second finger into her tight pussy, plunging them in and out. My other hand creeping up her body and seizing her nipple, pinching and twisting. The only things I could hear were her escalating moans mixed in with, "yes, right there," and, "Fuck, Carlos!" I could feel her internal muscles clamping down, so I drew tight circles around her hard little clit with my tongue and then lightly sucked it in again. Her legs closed around my head and she wailed. Her pussy holding my fingers so tightly, I couldn't have pulled them out if I'd wanted to. I looked up to see her head flung back, her tits jutting towards the ceiling, her body contracting as she came in my mouth. Oh, we'd definitely be doing this again before the day was out. I brought her down, gently licking until she squealed and pulled my face away with her fingers in my hair. She sat up and grabbed my face, crashing her lips to mine, kissing me wildly for a minute. She pulled away and leaned her forehead against mine, panting.

Easing herself to her knees in front of me, she looked down at my dick practically waving at her from my open fly. The dirty grin that spread across her face making me twitch. She shoved her hands under the waistband of my pants and started working them down.

"Stand up Carlos." She said quietly. Her palms smoothing all the way down my legs as I stepped out of my jeans. She crawled forward when I was free and pressed her body to my thighs. _Shit!_ Her face was millimeters from my cock. I was so hard that it was pointing upwards and she looked me right in the eye as she opened her lips and allowed the tip of her tongue to peek out, swiping it across the tip, licking up the fluid that had beaded there. With one hand on my belly and one wrapped around my thigh she licked down to the base of my cock and back up, making me growl and concentrate really hard to not try to thrust into her mouth.

I cupped her face and caught her eyes. She stared at me for a beat and gripped my hips, pushing me down to sit on the couch. She kneeled up to kiss me, using my own moves against me, working her way down my neck and to my chest, lingering over my ink that seemed to fascinate her. I slid my hands into her hair and said the dumbest thing I've ever said in my life. "Babe, you don't have to." Seriously, what the hell is wrong with me? I'd probably cry if she didn't blow me. I just didn't want her to feel obligated to do it.

Thankfully she rolled her eyes and said, "Shut up and sit back." I did as I was told, feeling a little thrill at the authority in her voice, or maybe the thrill stemmed from the look on her face. Her eyes were glazed and she was flushed from her perfect tits all the way up to her cheeks. This wasn't just going to be a reciprocal action, she actually wanted to suck my cock.

She held my eyes as she opened my legs further and pressed her body between them. She slowly slid her hand down my stomach and she wrapped her fingers around the base of my dick. I fought the urge to close my eyes and watched as she, so fucking slowly, surrounded the head with her sexy lips.

_Fuuuuuccccckkk!_

She hollowed out her cheeks and sucked me about half-way down. My hands were still buried in her curls and I used every single available brain cell to make them not pull her down further on me. She bobbed up and smiled around me, while snaking her tongue around the tip.

"Damn…suck me beautiful." Her smile faded and for a second I thought I'd said the wrong thing until her hand tightened and she held my gaze as she sucked me in even further this time. My neck was no longer able to hold my head up and it flopped against the back of the couch. She set a strong rhythm, taking in more of me than I expected. A string of garbled groans, curses and praise for her mouth falling from mine. She had me right on the edge in an embarrassingly short amount of time. But considering the amount of teasing my dick had suffered today, I'd say it was a herculean effort to last even this long. I looked down at her and moved my hand to cradle her cheek. My thumb traced her bottom lip, feeling the slick slide of her mouth on me, the last push. "Babe, I'm going to come." I warned her. She sucked me even further in her mouth, swallowing around the tip. My body involuntarily arching upward as I exploded in her mouth, yelling and cursing my release. She licked me until I came down and sat back, smiling that satisfied smile.

"Better?"

"Yes! Come here." I caught her under her arms and pulled her into my lap again. Attacking her lips, I felt the tingling start anew in my finally deflated cock. "We weren't supposed to do that." I panted when we broke apart. "Not until I took you out for real."

She shrugged, "We had breakfast together this morning and then you risked your life just so I could grab some clothes. You met my mom, and we had lunch together too. That's at least two dates." Her smile suddenly fell and her body tensed. "Why? Are you done with me now?" She made to stand up, but I held her there.

"Not hardly, Babe." I couldn't see being done with her for a long, long time. Maybe never. She stared at me hard for a few seconds. The pinch between her brows relaxed and her lips tipped upwards again.

"Shit, I think my insecurity was just showing, huh?" She said sheepishly.

"After last night, anyone would be feeling a bit vulnerable." She nodded and looked down. "Steph, look at me." I tipped her chin up. "I'm not looking to hurt you here. Please believe that. This is more than a physical thing for me. I'm not good at casual relationships." I stopped there, worried that if I said anything else I might scare her. Those baby-blues searched my face again.

"Yeah, I believe you. I'm not either." She moved so she was straddling me, her pussy inches from my rapidly recovering cock. "This is more for me too, but there's definitely a physical element. I've never had any kind of sex with anyone this soon after we met. I can't seem to stop touching you." Her hands roaming up my arms to my neck.

Even though my hands were rubbing up and down her thighs, I felt the need to respond in kind. "Me too." We had had the past relationship talk this morning over breakfast, so we knew we were both clean, but I had no clue if she was on any kind of birth control. All I knew was that one way or another I wanted to be inside her, soon. "I want to take you to my bed, Steph." I rasped. She nodded silently and stood, holding out her hand for me.

She tip-toed up and kissed me, "I want that too, Carlos." She turned and walked slowly down the hallway, stopping with her back to me at the side of my bed. I moved her hair off her neck and kissed her pulse-point. Inhaling her natural scent, an echo of her intimate scent. The sweet without the musk. I slid my hands around her narrow waist and pulled her firmly back to me, loving the way she fit against me. She wound one hand up and cupped the back of my head, holding me against the side of her throat and laced her fingers with mine at her belly. She arched her head back and kissed me deeply, making my heart pound. She slowly turned and wrapped her arms around me. I picked her up again, I couldn't resist, and slowly climbed on the bed with her wrapped around me. I laid her head on the pillows and kissed her again, fucking astounded by how much I was feeling. She bent her knees and placed her feet flat on the mattress and smoothed her hands up my back. I settled over her and kissed her even harder. In a near mirror image of our first kiss six hours ago, but this time we were completely naked. My cock, pressed against her hip, wanting so badly to push inside her. I pulled back an inch to look at her, the late afternoon sun slanting through the blinds, making her eyes nearly glow.

"You are so fucking beautiful, Babe." She really was, inside and out. And I was falling in love with her. Probably, I already was, for at least eight, no, nine days now.

She shifted her hips so we lined up, closing my eyes feeling her juices on my cock. I leaned over and pulled a condom out of the drawer. She stilled my hand as I went to rip it open.

"Let me do it." She gently pulled it from my fingers and ripped it open. Pushing me back until I sat on my feet, she gripped me in one of her small hands and used the other to slowly roll it down the length of me, driving me crazy. She had this way of watching my face when she did the most intimate of things to me, like she was cataloguing my responses to her touch. It set me on fire.

I moved forward as she laid back, her hands pulling my lips to hers. I slid my hand down her body to her center, checking her readiness. Satisfied that she was as wet as she could be, I slid an arm under her hips and lifted them slightly, lining us up. I pressed forward, watching my cock penetrate her for the first time.

_Goddamn._

"Fuck, Carlos…unh!" She stretched around me, but it was really snug. Really, really snug. She bowed backwards when I was fully inside her and I tried really hard to stay still while she adjusted to me. After a few seconds, her grip on my butt tightened and she pulled me in even further. "You have to move, Carlos." She whimpered. I didn't answer, just slid almost all of the way out and pushed back in, watching her eyelids fluttering. I bent to kiss her, needing to be as connected as possible. Her legs came up and locked behind me, her arms wrapping around my neck as I thrust and ground into her. I could hear nothing over her sighs and moans. I was so fucking deep inside her, my dick tapping her cervix and she was so damn tight that I felt my orgasm coming on fast. I shifted her leg and rolled to my side, facing her. She followed and pushed me onto my back. Quickly slipping me back inside and sitting up. I grabbed her hips and lay there awestruck at this amazing woman as she gently bounced over me. Her breasts swaying hypnotically with each movement, her hips undulating, her wet pussy sliding up and down my cock. Fuck, this wasn't going to help me last longer.

I sat up and sunk my hand into her hair again, pulling her head back and attacking her neck. My hand at her hip encouraging her to move faster. She raised up on her knees and I pushed up as she came down, a strangled moan escaping her. Once she set that faster rhythm I let go of her hip and slipped that hand between us, pushing down on her clit with the pad of my thumb. She started to really move then, her arms clamped around my neck. Her moans getting increasingly louder, her pussy getting progressively tighter. I thrust up harder and started circling my thumb, hoping that she would finish before me. And she sure did, her whole body went rigid, her head so far back that I could feel her hair brushing my legs, her mouth open in a silent scream as she spasmed around me. The contractions inside her so strong that it ripped my climax right out of me. I held her so tight as I came, that I was sure she'd have my handprints embedded in her skin. I collapsed backwards with her slumped on my chest, stroking her back lazily as she settled and our breathing calmed.

She looked up at me and smiled a sultry little grin. "That was…" She trailed off with a sigh, her chin resting on my chest.

I pushed a sweaty curl out of her face and cupped her cheek. "Yeah, it was." I didn't have any words. What we just did was incredible and I couldn't wait to do it again. She started to sit up and I slipped out of her, both of us groaning at the loss in connection. "Where are you going?"

"I was just going to…" She started to say.

"Stay." I blurted. I wasn't sure if I meant, right this second, or forever really. It didn't matter, I knew it already, she was it for me. I was officially off the market.

She smiled down at me, her hands on either side of my head, her hair forming a curtain around us. "Okay." She kissed me softly and laid her head back on my chest. Right over my heart.

**Technically this is the last chapter and the next is really an epilogue (remember this was supposed to be a one-shot), but every time I go back to edit it I add more content and it's getting a bit longer than I originally planned. So, one more tomorrow.**

**Hope you liked the loving. Yes, it was soon for them, but it felt right so I went with it. **

**Let me know what you thought.**

**Love,**

**EA xoxo**


	5. Chapter 5 Epilogue

**Big time hop here. See you down there.**

SPOV

"And that was how Mommy and Daddy met." I told her.

"He saved your life?" She asked me wide-eyed.

"Technically, but she saved me first." Carlos said from his spot on Julie's bed.

"I hardly saved your life, honey. I just took care of you." I said as I rubbed my thumb over that nearly invisible scar. He grinned at me, that same gorgeous grin that made me fall in love with him ten years ago on that eerily quiet day in my ER.

"Eew, are you going to kiss?" Our little girl complained.

"Every chance I get." I teased her, kissing his cheek. I bent and kissed her still chubby cheek too. Marveling at how much Julie looked like her father. The only thing she got from me, my completely unmanageable hair and the color of my eyes. Everything else, pure Carlos. She turned seven today, and because of her recent fascination with contemporary Disney movies, had been snorting at our still sappy and probably sickening to all who witnessed, near constant displays of affection. So instead of her usual bedtime story, we regaled her with the story of how we met. Don't worry though, it was _very_ heavily censored!

If you knew my husband, you wouldn't be able to find fault with my need to touch him. And the way he loved me? It hadn't changed since I saw it in his eyes the first time we made love.

My mom had told me he was _The One_ the first time they met. She loved him immediately and she had pulled me aside before we left to tell me just that. People tell me I have kind of a sixth sense; that I can read a person well. I guess I got that from her, because I had known it long before that.

We spent that second night in his bed, I was so lost in him that I forgot to go and meet his super to see the new apartment. Not that it really mattered, I didn't need to. He'd begged me to move in with him, and there I stayed until we found a house close enough to both our jobs. We closed on it a few months later and he, of course, carried me over the threshold the first time we unlocked the door to _our_ house. He set me down on the dusty hardwood floor, floors we later refinished ourselves, and dropped to one knee, holding out a beautifully simple diamond ring, asking, "Stephanie Plum. I love you so fucking much, I can't wait to ask you anymore. Will you please, please marry me?" It was the only time I saw his somewhat cocky nature a little shaken. I can't believe he actually thought there was a chance I'd say no!

He later told me he had this whole elaborate plan concocted, involving the fire truck and a faked injury that would bring him into the ER so he could ask me there. I much preferred the way he did it. It was spontaneous and sweet and looking down at him, framed by the archway that lead into our kitchen I had a flash of what our life would be like. Happy and filled with laughter, I couldn't say no.

"Goodnight sweetheart." I whispered, kissing her forehead. "I love you to the moon."

"And back, Mommy." This kid! Always with the last word. I stood and waited at the doorway, watching Carlos hug his baby girl and tell her he loved her.

If there was anything that could make me love him more, it would be the look on his face when they laid her on my still huge belly after her birth. She was slimy and wet and smeared with some of my blood. Anyone else would have at the very least grimaced, not my man though. He had the most awestruck look on his face, one hand in my hair and one on her tiny head, his gaze flipping between us, murmuring over and over, "I love you" to both of us.

He kissed Julie goodnight and joined me at her door, she was already asleep as he pulled it shut behind us.

He wrapped his arms around me and smiled down. "Hi." He said before ducking down to kiss me.

"Hey." I replied, a little giddy from him.

He started walking me backwards towards our room. "It was hard making that story appropriate for seven-year-old ears." He said with that grin.

"Tell me about it, you have a real potty mouth you know. Oompf!" He had the nerve to look offended as I fell back on our bed. I backed up as he crawled over me.

"_I_ have a potty mouth?" He said incredulously. "_Me_?"

"Yes you, what are you implying?"

"I'm not implying anything, I'm flat out saying, you're just as bad." He pulled my scrub top over my head.

I started working on his belt, "No way! I didn't just have to edit out 'suck me, beautiful' from a story we just told our daughter!" I countered, pushing his pants down and grabbing his ass. God, I loved that he still didn't wear underwear.

He snorted and pulled my bra straps down. "Only because you didn't say 'Carlos, please! Lick my pussy,' till later that night!" He bent and pulled my nipple into his mouth. _Fuck! _My husband had the most magic mouth.

"Shit, that feels good!" His head snapped up, grinning smugly because he'd just proved his point. "It's not my fault, it's that tongue." The grin grew and he jumped up and yanked the drawstring at my waist, he threw my pants across the room.

"You like my tongue, Babe? Where do you want me to put it?" He grabbed the side of my panties and tugged, they gave with a _rrrrrrriiiiippppp_! "Shit, sorry!" He muttered, not looking apologetic at all and then pulled them the rest of the way off.

"I don't care." I mumbled as I yanked at his shirt, I never bought expensive underwear for that exact reason. He was finally, gloriously naked over me.

"Where do you think I want you to put that tongue?" He loved it when I talked dirty to him, but I liked to make him work for it. Mean, I know, but it made him even more passionate, got him even more worked up.

"Hmmm," he said looking thoughtful. "In your mouth?" He kissed me, softly stroking that wondrous thing against mine, setting me on fire.

"What about here?" He licked down my neck, _ohh_, _that's nice too. _"No? Here?" He moved to my breast.

"Ohhhhhh!" I grabbed his head and held him there, but he pulled away, dammit.

"Here?" He licked that crease between my hip and my thigh, making me jump. _There's good, mmmmmmm. _He lingered there and I knew what he was waiting for, I could tell by that grin, still affixed to his handsome face.

I sighed deeply, annoyed with myself for letting him play me. "Carlos, please! Lick my pussy!" He chuckled darkly and jumped off the bed. He sunk to his knees and grabbed me by my ankles and dragged me until my butt was right on the edge of the mattress. He threw my legs over his wide shoulders and dove in. He used every trick he had and had me right there in about two minutes, I had to grab a pillow and cover my face with it, knowing that I wouldn't be able to keep quiet.

_Fuuucccccckkkk! _He was so damn good at that!

I flung the pillow back towards the head of the bed and tried to recover as he crawled back over me. His thick cock throbbing against my thigh. He hooked his hands under my shoulders and eased me further up the bed. Picking up my right knee, he pushed it up towards my chest and teased me with the tip of his dick, sliding it around my lips. I wound my free leg around his hip and when he got close to my entrance, I wiggled and he slipped in a little bit.

"Impatient Babe? Do you want my cock?" He growled. He had this sex voice that had never failed to get me going since we first met and he was using it now. If anyone had ever talked to me the way he did, I would've laughed in their face. He was just so fucking sexy that it all worked for him. He hadn't pulled out yet so I lifted my hips and he sank all the way inside.

"Yessss." I hissed. He'd been at work for the last forty-eight hours and I really missed him, missed this.

"You feel so fucking good, Babe. I missed you." Yeah, I know it had only been two days, but still, _two days! _He slowly, deeply thrust into me. His face hovering over mine.

"I love you!" I moaned. "Fuck, Carlos! Harder!" He reached down and grabbed my other leg, pushing that one up as high as possible too. Picking up the pace, until he was slamming into me, stealing my words and my breath. He bent down, bending me double, and kissed me hard, pulling back he murmured, "I need to feel you come on my cock, Babe. Can you do that for me?" He added a little grind at the bottom of each thrust, that coupled with the way the head of his cock was rubbing the inside of me made my eyes cross it felt so damn good. He watched me keenly and swooped down to swallow my moans as I came, waves of warmth and euphoria, crashing all over me. He let my legs go and I wound them around his legs, trapping him close to me. He loved it when I did this and he, like always, started moving faster, moaning in my ear. "I love you…Babe." He gasped. "Fuck, so…good. I love…unh…fucking you." He growled and tensed. I grabbed his face and kissed him as he came, feeling high from his sexy groans and tightening my legs around him. He collapsed on top of me, panting and lazily kissing me.

"I missed you." He said, rolling slightly so he wasn't crushing me.

"I can tell. I missed you too." I said, unable to keep the smile off my face. He pulled me close and trailed his hand down my chest and flattened it under my belly button.

"Do you think it worked this time?"

I grinned and looked down at his big hand on me. In a couple of months that hand wouldn't look quite so big in that spot. "It already did." I bit my lip and waited for it to register.

I saw as it dawned on him. "You're already…we did it?" He crowed, so triumphant, I expected him to jump up and fist pump.

"Yes. I'm just over six weeks. I'm surprised you didn't notice, I should have my period right now. I had a blood test done today at work."

"I can't believe we finally did it!" There had been some complications with my thyroid after Julie was born, so we had been very careful to not get pregnant for the next few years. The endocrinologist had finally gotten it straightened out and we'd been really trying for the last six months. I had been on the verge of calling a specialist, when I had looked at the calendar this morning and realized I was late. "When?"

"May 20th. Give or take, I'll go to see Dr. Beaumier next week."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me as soon as I walked through the door!"

"Are you kidding? There's no way we would have had sex like that if you knew. You get all reverent and act like I'm the sacred vessel carrying your child."

"I can't help it, you're so small, Steph. I get even more protective when you're knocked up." He kissed me and slid down until his face was level with my navel. "Hi, baby." He kissed the skin there. "I can't wait for you to get big and meet your sister. Are you going to be a boy? A girl?" I ran my fingers through his hair and he looked up at me, grinning. Looking so much like an excited little boy himself.

"You're going to talk to my bump the entire time again aren't you?"

"You know it, Babe." He kissed my belly again and crawled over me. "These are going to get huge again aren't they?" He murmured, ducking to draw my nipple into his mouth. _Mmmmmmmmm! _They were already super sensitive, but holy crap, did they get enormous before Julie was born.

"Probably, yes."

He chuckled and switched to the other breast. I wasn't surprised when I felt him harden against my hip. I lowered my hand and squeezed him firmly, he growled and rolled us over so I was on top. "Remember what you told me the first time you took my pants off?"

I remembered every second of that day. "What? Don't move. Let me do all the work?"

He nodded, smiling big. "I think that was when I fell in love with you."

I bent down so our faces were close. "Oh yeah?"

"By 'fell in love' I mean, that was the first time you gave me a hard-on. The falling in love for real happened about an hour later when you were okay with me puking in front of you."

"Yeah well, I was distracted by your ass in the hospital gown." He tried to give me his 'I'm seriously affronted' look, but couldn't keep it together and burst out laughing.

Jeez, even after ten years that laugh still gave me butterflies. "I love you, Carlos." I cupped his gorgeous face, serious for a second. "I really, really love you."

He sat up and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tight. "Me too, Babe. So fucking much. And now you're giving me another baby. Getting hit with that header beam was the best thing that ever happened to me." He said looking me dead in the eye.

"To me too." I whispered. I pushed him back down onto the bed and shifted until he was inside me. "Now, don't move. Let me do all the work." He barked out a laugh and laid still while I started to move over him.

You hear stories of love at first sight and think, 'yeah, sure, they're full of shit.' I did too, I was 29 when I met Carlos, and while I was too young to have given up hope on finding love, I had hit a point in my life where I was getting skeptical. But it really does happen, usually when you least expect it. It catches you off guard and steals your air and boom, your whole world shifts on its axis and there's this new person in your life that means more to you than anyone else.

We weren't the only ones to connect either. Lester the self-professed man-whore _dated_ the ER unit-clerk, Connie, for just a few weeks. They met back up at our wedding and they now have four kids together. They're even more disgustingly cute than Carlos and me!

Tank and Lula were a different story. He had been married when they met, an unhappy marriage, but a marriage all the same. As far as I know, and I know almost everything, they never did anything until he was going through his divorce. It was really rough on Lula, we had been best friends since nursing school and I had never, ever seen her so hung up on a guy. They're in a great place now, happy and living together. I don't know if they'll marry, he's a little gun shy from his first time around, but he loves her the way Carlos loves me and that's all that really matters.

And then there's Bobby, he had dated Sarah for a really long time. That Jeanne woman had shown up with Sarah a few times after Carlos and I got together. I understood her fascination with him, I mean look at him, but that bitch needed to back off. One of the most satisfying and embarrassing moments of my life was when I finally slapped her. We were at a barbeque at Tank's house, everybody had had a few and we were all loose and laughing at war stories, I excused myself to go to the bathroom and when I walked back through the kitchen she had Carlos cornered by the refrigerator. She was being even more forward than normal and when I saw her hand move towards his crotch I saw red. Next thing I knew she had my hand-print on her face and she was running from the kitchen and into the backyard. The whole dramatic fall out can be easily summed up. Apparently Bobby had asked Sarah not to bring Jeanne with her on multiple occasions, but Sarah had wanted her friend and Carlos to be a thing, despite the fact that we were engaged at the time. A loud argument ensued and Bobby and Sarah were no more. I felt bad for him, he had really loved her, but she was a manipulative bitch and he was finally seeing that. He and Ella had always been close friends, but something clicked for them after that. They too are now married.

Hal hooked up with my high-school bestie, Mary-Lou, at our first Christmas party at our new house. They've been married for six years and are expecting their first baby next week. Even Joe and Hector, had a beautiful civil ceremony a few months ago. They plan to adopt.

All of this because of the man underneath me. I had this huge amalgamation of friends and family. He'd given that to me. All stemming from my appreciation of that sweaty, sooty uniform he wore the first time I saw him. Well, to be honest, he could have been wearing anything and I would have had the same reaction, but the turn out gear was a definite bonus!

**THE END**

**Well, if you guys want, I could write an out-take or two, let me know what scene you'd like to read, it could be something I skipped over for Ranger and Steph, or one of the Merry Men's stories fleshed out. I have some ideas running around in my head, but you guys get to decide which ones I write out. Review and tell me, okay? I'm also working on all the other stories as well, don't worry.**

**Love, **

**EA xoxo**


	6. Out-Take Btch Slapping

**AN: Smack-down time! Teensy bit of drama, some lovin' and some grown-up words down there.**

**Sadly I don't own these characters, but this plot is all mine.**

"You almost done in there baby? We have to stop at the liquor store still." I asked, watching him in the mirror. I was supposed to be putting my mascara on, but was distracted by his silhouette behind the glass shower doors. He shut the water off and slid the door open, giving me an incredible show as he dried off.

_I am one lucky bitch!_

He looked up at me, catching me staring and gave me that grin. "Doesn't look like you're all the way ready either, Babe."

He stepped closer and I backed away. "Oh no, we don't have time for that now." I said feebly.

"Time for what? I just want to give you a kiss." He said, trapping me against the sink, dropping the towel on the floor.

"Yeah, uh-huh. You think I don't know what your 'I need to fuck you right now' face looks like?" He was looming over me, already hard and pressing against my stomach.

"Babe, around you, this is my constant face." His hand rose and tugged down the top of my sundress. "Do you know why I like this dress?" He murmured.

"No." I breathed.

"Two reasons really. It's short and you know how I feel about your legs." His hand smoothed up the outside of my thigh. "And…you never wear a bra when you have it on." He bent and pulled my exposed nipple into his mouth.

"Unh, Carlos!"

He let go and stood straight, suddenly the sex voice was gone, looking all mischievous. "You're right, we're going to be late." He made to back up, but I caught him with my hand around his cock.

"I don't think so. Don't start something and then walk away." His grin sliding off his face as I slowly stroked him.

His hand disappeared under my dress and headed straight between my thighs, he shoved the crotch of my panties aside and thrust two fingers inside.

"Ahhhhhh. Shit."

"You need to be a little bit wetter, Babe." No worries there, I needed maybe thirty seconds more and I'd be dripping all over his hand. "Yeah, just like that, Steph." He dipped and kissed me deep. His other hand cradling the back of my head as I started to ride his fingers. No matter we just had sex a few hours ago, he had this uncanny ability to turn me on. I broke from his delicious mouth and tried to pull in some much needed oxygen. I was a millimeter away from coming when he pulled his fingers out and turned me around, yanked my underwear down to my knees and pushed down on my lower back. He held my eyes in the mirror as he pushed inside me. His warm, strong body behind me, his thick cock inside me and the cold porcelain of the sink digging into my hips, making me shake with the need to just come already.

"Carlos, please move." I felt like I was choking, unable to breathe properly. He pulled back slowly, watching me the entire time, then slid back in. I could feel every single ridge and bump of his cock. "Faster baby. I can't…fuck!"

He sped up. "Like this?"

"Ahhhh, yes!" He started pulling me back even harder. All it took were a few more strong thrusts and I was a moaning, groaning, ball of warm orgasmic mush. Watching him as he continued to plow into me, prolonging my climax.

"I love feeling you coming on me, Babe. Your juicy pussy squeezing me, so fucking tight…Shit!" He bellowed as he came deep inside.

Jeez, he has such a dirty mouth when we're having sex! I loved it though. I loved that he got so caught up in what we were doing that whatever was in his head came right out of his mouth, without filter.

He braced his hands on the sink, panting and grinning at me. "I told you I like that dress."

I burst out laughing. "I'll get one in every color." He grinned again and pulled out and gently smacked my ass.

"I'm not going to stop you. Stay there." He grabbed a clean washcloth from the shelf and wet it with warm water, wiping me clean. He pulled up my underwear and smoothed my skirt back down. I stood straight and turned to kiss him. He pulled back and rested his forehead against mine. "I love you, Babe."

"I love you too." My smile so big it was hurting my cheeks. "Go get dressed. They're probably cursing us right now, waiting for the beer."

He shrugged, "They'll live." He kissed me again before he sauntered off to get dressed.

"Has Tank said anything about him and Sasha lately?" I asked as we turned onto their street.

"Yeah, they've been going to counseling. I don't know if they'll get through it though. They fight about everything."

"Like what?"

"Work, him working too much and not making enough money. She wants a bigger house, a new car. She doesn't want kids, but wants to stay home."

"I didn't know it was go-to-marriage-counseling bad between them." Sasha had come from a privileged background, her parents had given her everything she'd ever asked for. She was a nice person, if a little selfish. I couldn't fault her for choosing to marry Tank, he was a fantastic guy, but I had to wonder why she hadn't considered his financial situation. He was second in command at their fire company, but as a civil servant he didn't make a whole lot of money. Between Carlos and I, I made slightly more money and with us both working we could easily swing our monthly bills. If one of us didn't work though, it would be incredibly tight. I can't imagine trying to make a go of it on one income in New Jersey.

"She's not going to be there today." He told me as he pulled his car up to the curb outside Tank's house. "She's visiting her sister."

"Probably for the best. That argument they had last time was awful." They had been at our house to watch the hockey game and they had started out bickering about the laundry and it quickly escalated to her ranting that she wanted this new $2000 washing machine. They were in that cold, silent-treatment stage of fighting when they had left.

I helped him grab the cases of beer from the trunk and we walked along the edge of the house into the backyard, were the barbeque was already going.

"Hey you two. Were the hell have you been?" Tank yelled from his spot at the grill. I exchanged a guilty glance with Carlos and everyone cracked up. "Christ Cap, take it easy on her! You have one month before you guys get married. She's going to be tired of you drilling her every time she turns around before you even get to your honeymoon!"

I shook my head, "The hell I will! Besides, I kind of started it." My admission set off another round of laughter as I hugged everyone hello. Our friends were well aware that Carlos and I are very…affectionate. I got to Bobby and had to take a deep breath, to his right were his girlfriend Sarah and that bitch, Jeanne. I swear to god, this girl shows up all the frigging time!

"Hello ladies, how are you?" I eschewed the hug for them but gave them my best attempt at a smile. Sarah was generally okay with me, but when Jeanne was around she was like a different person. I mean, c'mon, get over it already. Carlos and I were engaged, Jeanne and he had gone on two dates a year and a half ago. It wasn't going to happen. Not ever.

Two hours later everyone had full bellies and had a cold beer in hand. Any time you got a few in these guys in any social setting the war stories started. They left out any traumatic ones, but the funny ones were always shared.

"So," Tank said, barely holding it together. "We've got smoke pushing out all the bottom windows of the house. All of them, front, side and back, and upstairs we've got this old lady hanging out of her bedroom window in a bra and nothing else. In the next window over is who we thought was her husband, he's what Cap? About 85?"

"At least." Carlos said. I'd already heard this story from Carlos, but I loved the way Tank told their stories.

"So they're yelling and screaming and we're rolling the ladder to get her first. Les heads up there with a blanket 'cause he knows that she's practically naked and he's worried that seeing naked 80 year old ass is going to put him off sex for the rest of his life. He hands it to her and the old guy is doing his best to launch himself out of the window at him. Les finally helps him into the bucket and the guy has his pants and shoes and stuff in a bundle and he's freaking out. Saying 'I gotta' get out of here.' Over and over"

"I kind of had it figured out by this time." Les chimed in. All of the guys and Ella are cracking up now.

"We finally get them on the ground and this car screeches down the street and stops an inch from the pumper. This other little old man hops out and starts yelling, 'Ethel!' Like, screaming it. He sees her and hugs her and is all relieved and happy that she's fine. The guy we thought was her husband is sitting on a stretcher now and Joe and Eddie are giving him O2 and checking him out and the guy that just pulled up in the car sees him. We all backed off at this point because we're waiting for the shit to hit the fan. So the real husband looks over and sees this guy wearing boxers and a beater and nothing else and looks at his wife, then back at the guy. You can actually see the guy getting more and more pissed. Like there's this red line rising up his neck and over his face. He looked like a pot about to blow. He jumps on the guy on the stretcher and starts choking him, it took me Cap, Les and Bobby to pull him off. The guy weighs maybe 150 lbs. soaking wet and he was like the fucking Tasmanian devil, arms and legs everywhere. And he's yelling, 'you son of a bitch, you're banging my wife and I'm not there! I'm going to fucking kill you!' At this point Joe and Eddie are purple trying not to laugh and they load the boyfriend up in the ambulance and take off and the husband finally calms down. Turns out they're swingers. Seriously, they're all in their 80's and they swap partners, but apparently it's only cheating if the spouse isn't there. So, Ethel, the great grandma, had invited her boyfriend over while her husband was out running errands and they light candles to make it all romantic and then go upstairs to get it on and burn the fucking house down!"

All of them lose it at this point, like almost rolling-on-the-floor lose it. I was sitting on Carlos' lap and he had his head buried on my shoulder, vibrating with laughter, shaking my whole body.

The story itself was kind of disturbing, but when you have a profession that constantly shows you the very darkest elements of life, any hilarity is welcome, especially at the expense of frisky seniors. After Carlos told me this when he got home last week, I needed brain bleach to erase the vivid senior orgy image it planted in my head. I'm also pretty sure all the guys admired the fact that these two octogenarians could still get it up enough to keep more than one woman interested.

They eventually settled and Bobby started the next story. I stood and stretched. "I'm going to the bathroom. You want me to bring you another?" I asked Carlos, pointing to his almost empty beer.

"Nah. I've got to be in at 6:00 tomorrow, I'm switching to soda. I'll get it." I left him in the kitchen and went to pee.

I could hear voices in the kitchen on my way back. Carlos', one of them.

"You need to stop." I heard him warn as I turned the corner.

I rolled my eyes seeing Jeanne cornering my almost-husband next to the fridge. She was obviously a bit drunk, because she usually kept her distance and stared at him like the stalker she is when she crashed our get-togethers. She was slurring some crap about the two of them going upstairs as I rounded the kitchen island to help him out.

I've heard people say that they see red when they're seriously pissed. I always thought that was an exaggeration, I mean how can you _see _red? Well seeing that fucking delusional bitch's hand about to land on his crotch made a haze of red veil my sight. Without thinking I grabbed her wrist before she could make contact and tugged her backwards away from him…and I slapped her, hard. _Holy shit!_ I'm pretty sure I've never actually hit another person in my life. She stumbled backwards eyes bugging out and her hand over her cheek, just staring at me. I made to move towards her, whether to hit her again or make sure she was okay, I wasn't sure and she squeaked and ran through the patio door.

"My hero." Carlos said wrapping his arms around me from behind. I whipped around and gave him my bitch face.

"What the fuck was that?"

He drew back like I'd slapped _him._ "She followed me and started hitting on me as soon as you were in the bathroom. I told her to back off and leave me alone, but she'd had a few as you can tell and was being really aggressive." He said, a little of his own anger leaking into his voice.

"It didn't look like you were doing a whole lot to stop her." I growled back.

"What should I have done, Steph? Punched her? I don't think I've ever been so close to actually hitting a woman as I was just now."

I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be yelling at you. Enough is enough though. I'm going to kick her in her implants." I turned and started toward the door and was stopped by Carlos grabbing me around the waist, my feet flying up as he held me back.

"Easy slugger, as fuck hot as that slap was, I think you've marked your territory as much as necessary." He laughed.

"Let me go." I muttered through clenched teeth.

"No. Listen." I could hear some raised voices on the patio.

"What?"

"Are you going to calm down if I let you go?"

"Yes." No.

He reluctantly let me go, but maneuvered me so he could get outside first.

Bobby and Sarah were having a heated argument when we stepped out and poor little Jeanne was sitting in one of the chairs acting like I'd broken her zygomatic bone.

"What the fuck, Bobby? She fucking hit my friend and you're going to act like it's no big deal?" Sarah ranted, flailing her hand in my direction.

Carlos clamped his hand around my elbow to keep me in place and I looked up at him. By his face I knew he wasn't going to let me go, so I just yelled at her from my spot on the deck. "Well if she can't keep her hands off my husband's dick, next time I'll break it off!" Everybody was looking back and forth between us like it was a tennis match, Les and Tank with huge grins splitting their faces.

Bobby's whole expression changed and he got well and truly pissed. "I keep telling you not to bring her to these parties, Sarah, but you never listen. Do you guys talk about this beforehand? Think of ways to get what you want, never mind what everybody else wants?" She took a beat too long to deny it.

"No, no! Don't be ridiculous. She just had a few too many beers." She said sounding guilty as hell.

"Are you kidding me?" Bobby said, looking really disgusted. "You two set this up?"

"No! Of course not!" She said holding on to his shirt.

He backed away from her. "You need to go." He said quietly.

"What? Why?"

"I need to not see you right now." He turned and walked into the house, slamming the patio door so hard the glass rattled in the frame. Sarah made to go after him, but seeing me still blocking her path she chose to help her friend up and take off instead. Ella jumped up and hurried after Bobby.

"Damn, Steph. You finally smacked her?" Tank said with a pat on the back.

"Yeah." I muttered, shame creeping in for acting like a possessive child.

"On that note. We're going to hit the road." Carlos told him and took my hand. "Shift starts at 6:00 am guys." He said to his crew. "If any of you are late, you'll be polishing the pumper alone." They all laughed and waved him off. I said a quick round of goodbyes and followed Carlos to his car.

"You okay, Babe." He asked, turning the key in the ignition.

"I feel like a moron. How fucking juvenile can you get? Shit! What if she calls the police? I assaulted her!"

"Don't worry about it. I think she's too embarrassed to do that."

"Did you see her face? She had my whole hand print on her cheek!"

"I know." He grinned. "It was awesome, Babe." He picked up my right hand and pulled my palm to his mouth to kiss it.

"It's not funny!"

"I know. It was fucking sexy, Steph. Who knew you had a little scrapper in you?" He lowered my hand back to my lap and put his hand on my knee. Rubbing tiny circles right in the crook of it.

I looked at him incredulously, staring at his profile as he drove.

He turned to glance at me for a second. "What?"

"Are you trying to get me worked up after that?" I said pointing to his hand higher on my thigh now.

He smiled. "Is it working?"

I sighed. "A little bit, yes." He laughed and screeched into our driveway. He jumped out of the car and dragged me inside, slamming the door shut with his foot and boosting me against the foyer wall.

"I thought you said you liked this dress?" I mumbled ten minutes later, examining the now broken spaghetti straps.

"I do." He sat up and jostled me until I was in his lap and his back was against the wall.

"You broke the straps." I said with a happy sigh.

"I needed to see these." He cupped my boob and squeezed me gently. "You complaining?"

"Not really, no." I cuddled into him and buried my face in the crook of his neck. _Mmmmm, he always smells so good._

"Come on let's go to bed, before you hit someone else."

I stood and held out my hand for him. "Scared?" He took it and heaved himself up.

"Not with you around. You'll protect me."

Damn straight I would.

***Sigh* I love these two so frigging much! **

**It was a tie to have this little incident written out more fully and the Joe/Hector relationship written out. **

**Joe and Hector are next I think, so put me on author alert. If reading about two guys falling in love isn't your thing, then I respectfully request that you don't read it when I do post. I am staunchly liberal (The only thing I'm intolerant of is racism, sexism and homophobia. And abject greed. That's a biggee for me.) and I'm not going to pull any punches with the progression of their relationship. **

**Hope you liked this,**

**Let me know what you thought,**

**Love,**

**EA xoxo**

**P.S. The monkeys will be back in school in just under two weeks, so updates should increase in frequency.**


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